


Omega Rising

by stinathewicked



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alpha Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), Alpha Zack Fair, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Emotional Manipulation, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Multiple Pairings, Multiple Relationships, Omega Cloud Strife, Possessive Behavior
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:27:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 112,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21542980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stinathewicked/pseuds/stinathewicked
Summary: When a SOLDIER is created they are infused with mako and the essence of different monsters, making them something else entirely. Making them Alphas. Alphas are created, and never born. They are powerful creatures bred by science. So what happens when the dynamics shift, and a new dynamic is found? Set during Crisis Core Era. S/C Z/C
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 196
Kudos: 661





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Sector 6

“Cloud?” Reno leaned down, face tilting in question as those shaggy red spikes fell into his face. “Can we go out tonight?” he questioned, to which Cloud rolled his eyes at the whine in his roommates tone. “Pppplleeeeasseeeeeee,” he begged. “I’m bored.” 

“When are you not bored?” he asked the cadet, moving over as Reno flopped down weightless beside him in the small bed. He ripped at the covers as his friend dug in, making room. 

“But I’m extra bored since you’ve been sick,” the redhead pouted, turning to his side as they shared the same pillow. “Come on man. You haven’t gone out in over a week.” 

Cloud sighed, turning to face him as well. “I told you, my stomach hurts.” 

“Then take a shit and get over it!” Reno said with little sympathy. “You missed two classes this week.” 

“They said they understood,” Cloud tried to argue, frowning as his eyes knitted. 

“Dude, they definitely don’t understand,” Reno argued. “You’re trying to get into SOLDIER. They don’t understand you skipping out on training because you’ve got a belly ache.” Reno reached out, and Cloud batted his hands away as he pressed his palm against the woolen sweater he was wearing. “I know what you’re worried about you know.” 

“Oh do you?” Cloud mocked back, frowning at the other without any real malice. Reno was his best friend. He was the only one who made living in Midgar bearable. He had befriended him when he had come from Nibelheim, taking him under his wing as they went through basic together. Of course, Reno had his sights set on joining the Turks, but they all had to start somewhere. 

Reno hesitated, and Cloud shifted in nervousness, as his friend didn’t have any kind of filter. “You’ll get into his class, Spike,” he assured him. 

Cloud sighed at the thought. “You say that like it’s so easy to just get into Sephiroth’s class.” Sephiroth taught a single class to recruits every year. It was for the top 20 who had nearly perfect test scores. It was an honor, and everyone in Shinra knew that it was one step closer to being picked to join SOLDIER. 

Reno rolled his eyes. “I daresay you have an advantage.” 

Cloud opened his mouth to respond to that, before shutting it promptly as he realized what Reno was implying. “You mean Zack?” 

Reno laughed at the familiarity that rolled off his tongue. “We all can’t have friends in such high places.” 

Him and Zack had become friends during a mission by Bone Village. They bonded over being from hick towns, only Zack was a First Class SOLDIER, and he was still just a cadet trailing after him on missions. Zack was on a mission now, or he would have told him about this pain. He didn’t understand it. It wasn’t like he was going to be sick. It was a roiling feeling, making him feel like he was almost burning. He hated it, but he knew he couldn’t continue to lay around feeling like he was crawling out of his skin. Reno was right. He needed a break. He wished Zack was around to talk to about it first though. 

“Zack would never pull favors for me,” he argued with his friend. “He doesn’t cheat.” 

Reno rolled his eyes, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head. “Dumb fucking move by you if you ask me.” 

“I’m doing this on my own merit, Reno,” he reminded his roommate for the hundredth time. “I’ll be good enough to make it through the testing.” 

The redhead nodded placatingly. “Of course you will, Spike. But before that…”

Cloud cut him off before he could continue. “We can go down to Sector 6.” Reno surged forward, tackling him back and Cloud struggled under the hyperactive cadet. “Get off!”

Reno laughed into his shoulder, face buried in his neck. “What do you think I’m planning to do down in Sector 6, exactly?” The redhead paused while buried in his neck, and Cloud pressed his palms into his chest as the other inhaled. 

“What the hell are you doing?” the blond grumbled. 

“You smell good,” Reno murmured, sounding a little distracted, but not fighting as he was pushed up. 

“You’re so weird,” Cloud just shook his head, getting up off the bed as he looked down at his attire. He was in boxers and the oversized black sweater. Dressing up to go out never was his strong suit. 

“Are you planning on pants?” Reno questioned, lounging back on the bed, grin splitting his face as he seemed more than content after getting his way. 

Cloud’s lip curled as he looked down on himself. “I was debating.” 

“Not that I don’t think going down like that wouldn’t be more beneficial for you, but you might want to lean towards pants,” he held up a finger. “At least until we get to Honey Bee Inn.” 

Cloud groaned at that, reaching down into his chest to pull out black jeans as he shrugged them on over his skinny hips. “I am not going to Honey Bee Inn with you,” he assured Reno. “I agreed to go down for a few drinks. That’s it.” 

Reno nodded placatingly. “That’s it,” he agreed, but Cloud knew the redhead was only ever this agreeable when he wanted something. 

“Reno,” Cloud warned.

“Cloud,” Reno mocked back, laughing. “I told you one drink!” 

“Yeah yeah,” Cloud agreed. “You told me. I just have a hard time believing you sometimes.” 

Reno crossed his fingers. “Shinra’s honor,” he assured him, devious grin plastered on his face. 

A few hours later found him stumbling out of a bar in Wall Market, not able to hold his stomach back as he vomited in the back alley. 

Oh well...he supposed these things happened. 

Cloud’s vision was swimming as he wiped at his mouth with the back of his sleeve, and he would be able to process later why that was so disgusting. Shutting his eyes to try to stop his vision from blurring, he successfully managed to push himself back off the wall. He looked around for Reno, but didn’t see his friend anywhere in sight as he stumbled away from the mess he had made against the alley wall. 

He needed to go home and get to bed. He had morning patrols, and if he missed another, Major Euwen would have his head...unruly blonde spikes and all. Cloud chuckled to himself at the thought, palm pressed to his stomach as he tried to prevent it from turning. He just had to catch a train and get back up to the plate. Reno did this stuff all the time. It couldn’t be too hard. He just had to pretend for a moment that he had a sense of direction, and to not puke on anyone on the train. That part was probably the most important. 

He felt hot down here in the slums, the smell curling his stomach as he tried not to be sick. He shouldn’t have agreed to come down here with Reno. Especially not if his friend was going to abandon him at the first sign of tail. Cloud tried to remember who Reno had hooked up with tonight. He thought her name was Carrie, but maybe it was Candy. No, that was a stripper’s name. Had they gone to a strip club? He couldn’t remember. 

Someone bumped into him, and Cloud grunted as he was knocked backwards onto the ground. His vision swam again, and he nearly blacked out as he looked up to see a man speedily walking away. Frowning, he reached down to his pockets, fingers pressing into them and frowning as he realized his key card to get home was gone. 

“Shiitttttt…” Cloud rubbed at his face as he tried not to panic. All of his gil was on that card, his train pass was on that card, and his Shinra identification. They were going to kill him, and he was going to kill Reno in turn whenever he found him again. 

“Spike?” Bleery blue eyes looked up at the familiar voice. It wasn’t possible. He was hallucinating in his drunken panicked stupor, because he had been specifically told the mission was going to last another two weeks. 

“Zack…” he breathed out, desperation filling his tone as his stomach was hurting so bad. He stared up as unruly black spikes came into view, mako laced violet eyes blinking at him as he leaned down, a gloved hand reaching out to cup his cheek. 

“Spike, what in the world are you doing here?” the concern in that tone was sincere enough to be real, and Cloud blinked away some of the inebriation as he realized the SOLDIER First Class was actually kneeling down in front of him. 

“You came,” Cloud managed, and for some reason just seeing Zack caused the cramps to lesson in his stomach. He lunged forward without thinking, arms throwing themselves around the SOLDIER’s neck, burying his face in it as a calm swept through him. 

“Whoah,” Zack soothed, not pushing him away, but merely wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close, comforting circles rubbing against the small of his back as his sweater rode up. “Hey, what’s going on?” Concern laced his tone. “Spike, talk to me.” 

“I got robbed,” Cloud spoke into Zack’s neck, inhaling the scent of oil and sweat from the mission. “They took my ID card. They’re going to kick me out, aren’t they?” If there was a whine in his voice, he would blame it on the alcohol. That, and the fact that he had really missed the SOLDIER. He had been gone on this latest mission for over a month. 

“Sshhhhhh,” Zack quieted his anxiety, those hands going further up the back of his sweater, and Cloud pressed closer, not knowing why he was doing it exactly, just knowing that Zack’s smell calmed him. “Cloud…” There was almost a warning growl in the SOLDIER’s voice, but Cloud ignored it as he clung tighter. 

“Help me,” he begged. Reno had left him, but Zack never would. Zack was his friend. “I don’t feel good.” 

“He’s drunk,” a voice said with distaste, and Cloud couldn’t get the spins to stop in order to pull his face away. 

“He’s just sick,” he heard Zack’s reply, defending him as fingers seemed to knead their way up his back. 

“Well I can see that Zack, but that doesn’t change the fact that he reeks of slum swill.” For some reason he thought he had heard that voice before. For some reason he thought he should be remembering where from. 

“Listen,” Zack spoke hesitantly. “Just don’t say anything, alright? I swear he’s not normally like this.” Cloud dragged his lips against Zack’s neck, practically tasting the mako on his skin as he squirmed on top of him. “Spike…” the voice was strangled, arms tightening around him. “You gotta stop that, okay?” Zack’s voice was breathy, and Cloud fought against whatever instincts told him to continue to burrow forward in order to lean back to look into Zack’s eyes. They were almost black, the mako only a thin glowing line around them. 

“My stomach hurts,” he admitted softly, wanting Zack to make it better...needing him to make it better. 

“He’s going to vomit on you,” That other voice spoke, slight amusement in his tone, but he couldn’t drag his eyes away from those blown out pupils as Zack’s hand rubbed at his back. 

“I’ll take you home, okay?” Zack promised. Zack, his savior...his SOLDIER. 

Cloud nodded, reaching out to cup both sides of Zack’s face. “Take me home,” he agreed. “My stomach hurts,” he said again. 

“I know it does, Spike,” Zack breathed, and they were so close. Zack didn’t care that he had lost his key card. He didn’t care that he had found him sprawled out in the dirt. He was going to help him. “I’ll get you home, okay?” Those kind eyes promised, and Cloud knew he would never be let down by them. 

“The hell you will,” That other voice spoke, and Cloud merely whimpered at the thought of not getting to go to bed, burying his face once more in Zack’s neck as he shut his eyes. “They see him like that and he’ll be booted out as quickly as you can say Shinra failure.” 

“Sephiroth,” Zack warned, and Cloud stiffened at the sound of the name. 

“Have him stay down here for the night. If he goes back up the plate someone will inevitably see him stumbling around. Plus he has no keycard, and the security system on the trains runs at this time of night. He’ll never get back up, even if he is with you.” 

Cloud was stiff now in the other’s arms, trying to wrap his drunken brain around the fact that Zack had just said Sephiroth. “Zack…” he breathed into the other’s ear, too startled by the change to notice the way the other seemed to shiver. “Did you say Sephiroth?” 

“At least he’s not completely incoherent,” that voice spoke again, and Cloud turned his face so that he was practically laying on Zack’s shoulder, eyes roaming up to see leather clad legs, a leather vest, and finally long silver hair. 

“You’re Sephiroth,” he managed, and parts of his brain had lit up in panic, screaming at him to run, but his stomach was so curdled, and Zack was holding him tight, and he couldn’t bring himself to move. 

“I am,” Sephiroth spoke, a hint of amusement in his town even as he stared down at him with bright green, almost cat like eyes. 

“I’m drunk,” Cloud stated now, hoping it sounded like an apology as he realized just what had transpired tonight. He was going to kill Reno. 

“You are,” Sephiroth agreed again, sounding a bit more amused as he watched him. “Lieutenant Fair is going to take care of you.” 

“Because of the keycard?” Cloud asked dumbly, hearing Zack laugh at his question. 

“Yes,” Sephiroth answered after a moment, silver eyebrow raised. “Any more pertinent questions for the night?” 

Cloud stared up in amazement at probably the most beautiful human he had ever seen in his life. “How long does it take you to brush your hair?” Zack snickered at that, dropping his face down to hide his laughter in Cloud’s neck, and Cloud only vaguely noticed the way he stiffened when he did so. Sephiroth had been frowning down at him, but his eyes sharpened as Zack’s arms wrapped tight around him, making him whine at the pain around his sore torso. “Zack…” he tried. 

“What’s wrong?” Sephiroth asked, but for some reason Cloud didn’t think he was asking him. 

“The...smell…” Zack managed, his voice strained, and Cloud felt him sniff against his neck. 

“Zack,” Sephiroth warned as Cloud became self aware enough to pull back a little to look at the almost feral glaze to Zack’s eyes. 

“Zack?” Cloud asked, fingertips tracing along that sharp jawline. 

“Why do you smell like that?” Zack questioned him, and Cloud felt himself squirm in response as a wave of arousal passed through him at that tone. 

“Zack,” A warning growl almost came from Sephiroth then, but Cloud couldn’t look away from those black eyes. Soon, however, he wasn’t given a choice as a whistling sound reverberated through the air and crashed into the restaurant behind him. 

When the explosion came it was deafening. Smoke and rock flew everywhere as the world became alight with screams of terror and agony. Cloud sobered as he was thrown forward, forehead cracking against the ground as he skidded 20 feet. 

By the time he pushed himself up shakily to his feet, he saw that Sephiroth and Zack were already in action. Soldiers in Wutai garb had surrounded the area, and his eyes were wide as he realized he hadn’t brought a weapon. 

“Cloud run!” Zack yelled after him, and Cloud understood the urgency in that tone as the SOLDIER swung his sword at the nearest soldier, clashing with steel as he threw him back. 

Cloud watched with wide eyes as the two fought, more and more soldiers surrounding him as he took on multiple at once. He didn’t even notice the sword swinging at his face until it was blocked by another right before it hit. 

Blue eyes glittered with steel as he slowly glanced along the enormously long blade, seeing Sephiroth on the other end of it, before the blade shifted and stabbed directly through the Wutai soldier’s head. 

“Get him out of here, Seph!” Zack cried, impaling his sword through a man, before swinging the man and sword both to bowl over a group of them. 

Sephiroth grabbed onto his forearm, yanking him as Cloud could only shoot Zack one more brief look before running after him. 

They slid around the corner, taking off down an alley as Sephiroth ran in front of him, slicing through bodies to create a path. Blood splattered over Cloud’s face as adrenaline pumped through his veins. Sephiroth stabbed through three bodies at once, pinning them to the wall like shish kabobs. He yanked the sword out with just as much grace as the bodies piled before him. Cloud reached down shakily, grabbing for one of the discarded swords, and just barely being able to turn it around to stab through armor as a man charged him. 

He felt the sword go through flesh, bone, and armor, coming out the other side of his chest cavity and drenching him in the arterial spray. Cloud’s eyes are wide as he saw that head slump over. He’d never killed anyone before. 

Sephiroth grabbed him by the shoulders before he had the chance to think too much more on it as another explosion sounded through Sector 6. His head rang, and it was laughable to think that a few hours ago he had been thinking about a pain in his stomach. Carnage surrounded him in the form of bodies blown into pieces. The smell of burning flesh maked his stomach roll, and he vomited up whatever little was left inside of him, before Sephiroth is once more yanked him forward. 

It never occurred to him when he had been whining to Reno a few hours ago that he would ever in his lifetime get the chance to meet the General, and yet now he was being saved by him over and over again. If he lived through the night he would deeply consider the life choices that had led him here. 

“Can you fight?” Sephiroth questioned as 20 soldiers surrounded them. He knew it wouldn’t matter, Sephiroth himself could probably take out 100. But he was having to worry about him. He was a liability. 

“I can fight,” he assured him, tightening his hold on the stolen blade. Up until this point he had only ever used a rifle outside of practice. 

“Good,” Sephiroth murmured, eyes scanning around him as he weighed their options. “Don’t die. Zack would never let me hear the end of it.” Sephiroth was gone after that, and murder laid down in his wake. 

Cloud charged a Wutai soldier as well, managing to connect with his sword as he was pushed back, spinning to try to counter as metal clashed again. He tried to keep up as the soldier began to slash faster, and Cloud’s inebriated mind was having troubles as he moved as quickly as his body could. Cloud cried out as a sword sank into his flesh, slashing across his forearm, and spinning around to impale him. Sephiroth’s sword cut him clean in half at the waist before he ever could make the killing strike. 

His eyes glanced around the carnage as a pile of bodies surrounded them. Sephiroth had taken them all out, as if it had been child’s play to him. “Why did they attack?” 

“Why didn’t you defend yourself?” Sephiroth barked back, not bothering to wipe the blood from his sword before sheathing it. “Did you want to die tonight!?” 

Cloud was so taken aback by the fact that the famous SOLDIER was yelling at him, that it took him a few moments to become defensive. “I tried to fight!” 

“Oh?” Sephiroth questioned, motioning over to the dead Wutai soldier. “Was that trying? It looked an awful lot like failing.” 

“What the hell is your problem?” Cloud found himself asking before he could stop himself. 

“I said I would keep you safe!” Sephiroth barked. “You have no idea how much he talks about you! How he…” Sephiroth cut himself off, and clearly the situation had caused his temper to spike. He took a deep breath to calm himself, his eyes going cold again as he watched him. “What did he mean earlier? When he smelled you?” 

“You’re asking me?” Cloud asked incredulously, having been half out of it when he had seen Zack earlier. 

“Who else would I be asking?” Sephiroth questioned back with a raised brow as screams continued throughout the district. “Do you know what Zack is?” Sephiroth asked quietly. 

“A SOLDIER,” Cloud answered back, and from the chuckle he knew he had said something stupid. 

“Yes, but do you know what a SOLDIER is?” Sephiroth questioned, taking a few steps closer. “What they make us?” 

“Make you?” Cloud questioned, brow furrowed as just those words strung together had his stomach rolling again. 

“Alphas,” Sephiroth replied. “They infuse our cells with mako and all manner of different beasts, and in return we become something more. Our senses become heightened. We become more aware. We have certain...urges.” 

“Urges?” Cloud asked quietly, not believing what Sephiroth was saying could possibly be real. He had known Zack for over a year and he had never said anything. Zack was the kindest person he had ever met. He couldn’t be a monster. Is that really what it meant to be a SOLDIER? 

“Strong predilections you might say. So when I saw the way he was looking at you, I must admit, I got curious.” Sephiroth grabbed him again, yanking him close as the taller man pressed his face to his neck and inhaled. 

Sephiroth stiffened once he smelled him, and Cloud didn’t know what was happening as that feeling in his belly began to swirl again. The General of Shinra pulled back, eyes wide and searching as he stared down at him. 

“What are you?” he growled out low, and Cloud could only stare as a million questions ran through his mind. 

“I’m just a kid from Nibelheim,” Cloud answered, reaching up to press his hand against Sephiroth’s chest to create some space. 

“No Cloud,” Sephirother spoke, and his voice was practically a purr. “You really aren’t.” 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,


	2. Alpha

Chapter 2: Alpha

Cloud stared up at Sephiroth as he didn’t ask him who he was, but rather what he was. What did that even mean? He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Sephiroth had basically told him that they turned SOLDIERs into monsters. He didn’t believe it though. Zack wasn’t a monster. He was a little protective at times, but that was just who he was. Alpha...for some reason the very word made his stomach cramp.

“We need to find Zack,” Cloud said, changing the subject as Sephiroth stared at him in almost fascination. 

“Oh?” Sephiroth questioned. “Why do you want to find him?” The question held a mocking tone that made Cloud frown, glancing around at all the carnage and death surrounding them.

“He could be in danger!” Cloud pointed out, motioning around. “They ambushed us.” 

Sephiroth’s mouth tilted a bit at the thought. “Zackary can take care of himself. You obviously don’t know him very well if you think that this pathetic squabble posed much of a challenge.” Sephiroth continued to watch him curiously, before taking a step forward. “I think you want to get to him for another reason entirely.” He took another step, and Cloud fought the urge to back himself against the bloodied wall. 

Cloud took a deep breath as his stomach cramped and he felt a stirring between his legs. As his arousal caused him to shift he saw Sephiroth’s cat like eyes dilate in response. “Stop looking at me like that.” 

“Like what, Cloud?” Sephiroth asked teasingly, stepping close enough now to grab him and slam him back against the wall. “You don’t smell like an Alpha. You smell…” Sephiroth leaned in, burying his face in his neck as Cloud pushed at the strong chest. “You smell like a bitch in heat...or..nearly…” 

“Get off me,” Cloud spoke slowly, not knowing what Sephiroth was talking about, only knowing that when he was this close he wanted to reach out and touch that perfect hair...feel that flawless skin. “What you’re saying doesn’t make any sense. Things like that are not possible.” 

“You’re right,” Sephiroth assured him, blanketing him in a curtain of that silver hair as he leaned so close Cloud could see every speck of mako in those green eyes. “SOLDIER only produces Alphas with the cells from the beasts. It would be a liability to have anything else. But there are other things in this world, Cloud. Things that could control an Alpha very easily if they wanted to.” 

Cloud was panting by this point as his stomach cramped, and he felt a wetness start to drip into his boxers as Sephiroth’s finger trailed along his chin, tilting it up and over to reveal his neck. “What could possibly challenge an Alpha?” Cloud questioned, pulse racing as terror flooded through him. Terror...and something else entirely. “You’re SOLDIERs. Nothing can beat a SOLDIER.” 

“I didn’t say beat,” Sephiroth corrected, and Cloud actually heard a whine escape his throat as Sephiroth leaned in to his beating pulse. “I said control, but then you’re fully aware of that, aren’t you? Zackary has been trailing after you like a puppy since he found you. I just didn’t realize why until now.” 

“He’s my friend!” Cloud bit out, not liking the nefarious way Sephiroth talked about the other SOLDIER. The manipulative manner in which he referred to him. “Stop smelling me!”

Sephiroth chuckled against his neck, and the feel of the reverberation went right to his cock, making it hard as he squirmed at the unfamiliar wetness. “You’re something special. Something new and yet ancient at the same time.” 

Cloud turned his head back towards Sephiroth, eyes narrowed and mouth hard as it felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured down his spine. He ignored the fact that Sephiroth’s eyes were nearly black as his pupils had extended. He ignored the fact that the General of Shinra was bent over him and panting. “If you knew me at all, you would know that I’m not special. It’s not kind to mock cadets, and tell them faerie stories.” 

“I’m not mocking you,” Sephiroth replied, hands reaching out as he did to grab at Cloud’s thin hip bones. “But I may kneel to you one day...if only to get a better angle.” It took Cloud a moment to realize what the man meant, but once he did his cheeks burned hot as he squirmed. “You blush so prettily, Cloud,” he once more whispered his name in a purr. 

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Cloud reached down to place his hands upon the ones gripping his hips. “You’re too bold.” 

Sephiroth grinned at him, growling deep in his chest and causing Cloud’s knees to nearly buckle. “You have a fever, did you know?” 

Cloud felt powerless as he was trapped within those dark depths, that sound causing his hair to stand on end. “I’m sick,” he managed, feeling like he was under water as he focused in on that growl low in Sephiroth’s chest. Something was dripping down his pant leg, and when he got his sanity back he would begin to question why that was. 

“You’re not sick,” Sephiroth assured him. “You’re almost ready.” 

Cloud tilt his head, feeling under that same pull as he wrapped his arms around Sephiroth’s neck, leaning against that reverberation. “Ready for what?” He must be drunk again. He must be out of his mind to touch Sephiroth in this way. 

“Sephiroth!” Cloud heard Zack cry out, running around the corner as he yanked himself away from the SOLDIER. 

“Zack!” he breathed out in relief, coming back to his senses as that growling stopped and Sephiroth stepped back. 

“Spike?” Zack moaned out with relief, leaning over to pant from exertion. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” The SOLDIER looked back and forth between the two as Cloud pressed himself back up against the bloody wall. “Are you two okay?” Zack turned questioning eyes towards Sephiroth. “Seph?” 

Sephiroth sighed, taking a step back as he looked around at the carnage. “It was bold of them to attack Midgar. I’ll need to go plan a counter attack. It’s like the Wutai don’t even care to keep themselves alive.” 

Zack didn’t reply to the military observation, however, busy looking back and forth between them, eyes sharp and questioning. Cloud looked to the floor, not even knowing why he was feeling so guilty. Not knowing why the urge to run to his friend was almost overwhelming. “Zack,” he managed. “Can we go to the hotel now?” 

“Take him and then head back to the plate. We need to strategize,” Sephiroth ordered. “I’ll have troops come down and clear away the bodies.”

“I can find my way,” Cloud spoke up. “I just need to borrow some gil for a room. I don’t want to inconvenience either of you more than I already have.” 

“Spike, you didn’t inconvenience us,” Zack assured. “I doubt you could have foresaw Wutai soldiers tracking us home.” 

“It’d be impressive if it weren’t so infuriating,” Sephiroth mused. “They must have been planning this for weeks.” 

“Explains why we were able to leave early,” Zack agreed. “Knew it was too good to be true.” He reached out his gloved hand. “Come on Cloud,” he requested. “I just want to make sure that you’re safe before I have to wade through all these corpses.” 

Cloud pushed his way around Sephiroth, staring at that outstretched hand. “I can help though. I want to help.” 

Zack frowned at him. “I know you do, but you look exhausted...not to mention…” The SOLDIER trailed off. 

“What’s wrong?” Cloud questioned, noticing the way that Zack wasn’t quite meeting his eyes. 

“Ah hell,” Zack managed, rubbing at his dark spikes as his nose turned slightly pink. “We just need to get you to a hotel, okay?” The voice was nearly pleading. 

Blond eyebrows knitted, taking Zack’s hand without another thought, smiling at the reassuring way it was squeezed. Cloud shot a glance back towards Sephiroth, whose face was a cold mask as he watched them. “Thank you, General Sephiroth, for saving my life.” 

“My pleasure,” Sephiroth purred. “Zackary,” he managed in a more authoritative tone than the one he had been just using. “Come right back when you drop him off. I need your help.” 

Zack’s fingers entwined with his, and Cloud couldn’t draw his eyes away from their joined hands. “Yeah man, I’ll be right back.” The SOLDIER yanked at him, and not for the first time that night, Cloud thought about how much he was going to kill Reno when he saw him again. 

They headed towards Sector 7, side-stepping around the corpses as sirens began to blare and troopers started to surround the area. Why had Wutai attacked them here? They must have known they would be killed. They must have known it was a suicide mission to come here. “Why would they?” he asked out loud, causing Zack to glance back at him in question. 

“Why would they what?” he questioned the other, yanking him swiftly through the surrounding crowds. 

“Come here,” Cloud managed. “To the slums?” They couldn’t have known they would have ran into two SOLDIERs. They couldn’t have actively been that foolish. “Were they looking for something?” 

Zack glanced back once again, eyebrow raised. “Looking for what, Spike?” 

Cloud just shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s just...they wouldn’t just go after you and Sephiroth. Nobody is that stupid.” 

“Maybe they wanted to catch a showing of LOVELESS?” Zack joked, causing Cloud to smile in spite of himself as he shook his head. 

“Somehow I doubt the Wutai army is all that interested in our epic poetry ballads,” Cloud laughed. 

Zack turned then, using their tied hand to spin Cloud close. “My friend, do you fly away now?” The SOLDIER quoted dramatically, and Cloud rolled his eyes. “To a world that abhors you and I?”

Cloud was grinning at him in disbelief. “How do you know the play?” 

“You don’t have to go on missions with Genesis,” Zack spoke with weary condemnation. “Trust me, everyone now knows that play.” 

“He’s First Class, isn’t he?” Cloud questioned, aware that they were still close as Zack’s arm was wrapped around his hip. 

Zack hummed an agreement in his throat. “Oh yeah, and he ain’t afraid to let you know it.” 

“Oh?” Cloud teased. “Don’t think you’ve ever been particularly shy at telling people your ranking.” 

“Are you calling me pompous?” Zack questioned with mock offense, their hands still entwined. A warm fuzzy feeling was spreading through Cloud’s stomach.

“Only slightly,” Cloud had to bite his bottom lip to stop the grin from spreading across his face, eyes sparkling with mischief even despite what had happened tonight. 

Zack growled low in his throat at that, and Cloud felt that same wave of desire sweep through him as when Sephiroth had done it. The hand left his hip, gloved thumb going to the cleft of his chin instead, drawing the lip out of his mouth. “Don’t do that…”

“Afraid I’ll bite too hard?” Cloud questioned jokingly, but the humor had faded from Zack’s face as he stared down at his mouth, shaking his head.

“Afraid I will,” he seemed confused, almost in pain as he examined his face. “There’s something wrong with me, Spike. I’m just...not feeling myself tonight.” 

“It’s okay,” Cloud assured him. “Neither am I.” Neither was Sephiroth for that matter, though to be fair he didn’t know how Sephiroth normally acted. He could always just ooze sex wherever he went. “It’ll be better in the morning.”

“Will it?” Zack questioned, voice desperate as he watched. “Because you don’t understand.” 

“It’s not your fault,” Cloud managed, because he was doing something to Zack. The same way he had done something to Sephiroth, and he hated seeing the confusion on that face. “I can find my way from here. If I could just borrow some gil?” 

Zack snorted, breaking away to begin to pull him again. “Don’t be an idiot,” he managed, back stiff as he pushed open the door in Sector 7. “We’re already here.” 

The SOLDIER let go of his hand as he went to the counter of the small inn they had found, paying the teenage desk clerk 10 gil. They headed up the stairs as sirens could still be heard blaring throughout the slums. Why Sector 6? He couldn’t help but begin to ask himself yet again. Why had they come there of all places?

“Cloud?” Zack questioned as they got inside the small room. Cloud glanced around to the peeling yellow wallpaper, eyes landing on the moldy comforter. “What was going on with you and Sephiroth when I got there?” 

Cloud let his face fall at that, not liking the almost accusatory tone in Zack’s voice. “Nothing. He was just telling me nonsense.” 

Zack stepped in front of him, tilting his face up so that he was looking into violet eyes. “What nonsense?” 

The blond shook his head, but Zack grabbed his chin to keep his eyes locked on him. “It was lies, Zack. Lies about him...about you.” 

A low growl erupted from Zack’s chest, and he was seriously starting to question how much of a lie it really was when his friend sounded very much like a beast. “What lies?” 

He hesitated, not wanting to hurt one of his only friends by exposing one of his secrets. “Zack, if they changed you when you became a SOLDIER, you would have told me, right?” Because Zack knew that it was his dream to become a SOLDIER...to be like him. He would have told him if that meant becoming something inhuman...a monster...an “Alpha,” for some reason Cloud spoke it in a whining plea. 

Zack reacted almost at once, moving at almost inhuman speed as he tackled him back. Cloud’s hit the back of the bed with a gasp, the other pressing on top of him as his violet eyes seemed to glow even brighter as he stared down. “Cloud…” he managed, voice guttural as his hands slowly moved down his body as if pained. “Don’t..”

Cloud felt that wetness between his legs again at the feel of the heavy SOLDIER pressed between them. His own pupils were blown as he spread his legs to create more room, never really knowing how to listen, especially when it was Zack who was the one asking for the restraint. “Alpha,” he managed again in that same tone, not knowing why he was using it, only knowing that his body was screaming at him as a sweat broke over his forehead. 

Zack gasped, burying his face in his neck as he inhaled, and Cloud felt his fingers press against the SOLDIER’s spin, dragging up the dark black sweater to get to tanned skin as the other began to rock between his legs. 

What were they doing? This wasn’t them. They were friends...best friends, and yeah he wanted more. But that was a crush, and Zack was too good to him to fuck it up in this matter. Zack was too good to him for him to be using him in this matter just because there was a dark instinct he had been burying deep down all day. An instinct that was screaming at him that he was empty...that he needed to be filled...to be owned...to be claimed. 

“Cloud...you smell so good,” Zack managed in an almost guttural moan. “I want to fuck you...I know I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t,” He rocked between his legs, and Cloud moaned as their strained cocks rubbed together. “Why am I saying this? Why am I ruining this?” 

Why was he letting this happen when Zack clearly didn’t want it? Why was he sating his own desires as their cocks rubbed together and that wetness soaked down into the tattered quilt beneath? If he was a good person he would tell Zack to go. If he were any kind of friend he would push him off, because they weren’t in their right minds, and this could ruin their friendship. 

“Alpha,” he begged again, hands reaching down to grip Zack’s toned ass, encouraging the thrusts as they dry humped like teenagers. “Need…” 

“What do you need?” Zack growled into his ear, thrusts becoming rougher, more pointed as the need to be filled was almost overwhelming. His entire body was sweating now, feeling light headed from the fever. 

“I’m sticky,” Cloud managed, shifting his hips slightly to get Zack’s cock to brush up against his ass. 

“I know you’re hot...you have a fever,” Zack observed. “Fuck, you’re sick and I’m touching you...Fuck what’s wrong with me?” 

“No,” Cloud managed, pushing on Zack’s chest, and the SOLDIER reluctantly raised up his hips, as if the act of pulling up from him was physically taxing. “I’m sticky...can you check?” 

It had to be blood, right? He had been injured during the fight, or something was going on with his stomach to cause this wetness between his legs. His own fingers came to the zipper of his pants, watching Zack as the other’s eyes were tightly squeezed shut, obviously trying to regain control of himself. Cloud pushed down his pants, hearing a whimper leave Zack’s lips as he clearly heard the rustling. 

“Cloud, what are you doing?” he managed. “I need to go. I don’t want to hurt you.” Cloud noticed Zack’s knuckles were white as they gripped the sheets and he trembled above him. 

“You could never hurt me, Zack,” he assured him, pushing down on his shoulders as he pushed the jeans down his thighs. “Just look, okay? I think I’m hurt...or something.” 

“Or something,” Zack agreed in a throaty moan, body moving slow and sluggish, as if he didn’t have a choice but to listen as he moved down his body, eyes locked on Cloud’s cock pressing up out of his boxers. “That looks painful,” he groaned low in his chest, leaning down to lap at the head of his cock. 

Cloud cried out, bowing up off the bed as that mouth touched him, causing the slickness to slide down his thighs. Zack pulled shakily back as he did, eyebrow raised as he pushed Cloud’s stomach down. He bit off his gloved hand, using his bare palm now to travel lower, fingertips swiping along his thighs as Cloud became very aware that whatever was leaking from him wasn’t blood. 

“What is it?” he questioned, shifting to sit up as Zack gathered some onto his fingers, staring at it before bringing it up to his nose. Cloud watched in fascination as that glowing mako in his eyes spread out to his sclera, his eyes glowing violet as he began to pant, his teeth becoming sharper, almost fang like. 

“What are you?” Zack managed, entire body trembling. “What are you doing to me?” 

“I’m not doing anything,” Cloud promised, not liking the almost fear in Zack’s. “Zack I’m not doing anything. Just come here,” he reached for him, voice an almost begging whine as he didn’t understand what was happening between them. “You can fix it. You can fix it if you just come here.” he reached for him, not above begging as he needed something. He needed something that he knew Zack could give him. That he wanted Zack to give him. “Alpha,” he whined a third time, only slightly realizing that it was a command by the way Zack once more began to crawl up his body, each movement jerky as he seemed to be fighting against himself. What was he doing? Why was he hurting his friend in this way? Why would he do this when all he’d ever wanted was for Zack to love him?

Zack leaned down to once more bury his face in Cloud’s neck, chest reverberating in a growl as he kissed at his pulse, causing Cloud to cry out in pleasure and need as he realized it meant something. He had no idea what, but that spot meant something, and he wanted Zack to bite him there. He wanted him to claim him, to rut him, to breed him, to fill him. He tilted his neck up, giving him full access as he pressed those dark spikes to his neck. “Zack…” he moaned out, wanting this man in every way. 

“Cloud…” Zack managed to get out, teeth pressing against a bundle, before his body froze, and he shoved himself back. The SOLDIER practically fell over, shooting himself back up against the doorframe as he buried his face in it, panting as he tried to regain composure. “I’m so sorry,” he managed to gasp into the doorframe, nails digging rivulets into the wood. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just want you so bad. I’ve always wanted you so bad.” 

“Zack,” Cloud leaned up, getting ready to jump up out of the bed before Zack’s hand was held out stopping him. 

“No,” he begged. “Please Spike...please stay there. I can’t control myself. I’m sorry.” Tears spilled from glowing eyes as Zack turned around to face him. “I never wanted it to be like this. I wanted to tell you when you were ready. I wanted it to hurt less when you found out what I am,” he shook dark spikes disbelievingly. “The monster I am.” 

Cloud ached for his friend, feeling his pain as it crushed into him in waves. He felt his want, the overwhelming need he was fighting against because he thought Cloud didn’t want it. As if he hadn’t spent the last year dreaming of him. As if he hadn’t found every waking excuse to be with him. “Zack you’re not a…” But he was never allowed to continue as Zack whipped his way through the door, and Cloud heard the doorknob rip off from the outside trapping him in.   
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor baby Zack. I feel so bad for him. So hopefully this wasn't too quick or needy. The way I see it, Alphas in this story don't know of the existence of Omegas. So Zack would have no idea what was happening to him as Cloud went into heat. I also like the dynamic of giving Omegas an almost power over Alphas. Hopefully you guys enjoyed! Would love to hear what you think. Thanks so much for reading!


	3. Project O

Chapter 3: Project O

Cloud stared at the door that led up towards the 68th floor where the SOLDIER’s apartments were. He had been here for almost 20 minutes now, just staring at scanner for the keycard he knew he didn’t have. To be fair, he had tried calling him. He had texted him. Hell, he had even had Reno try calling. This was after, of course, he had given his friend an earful about leaving him down in the slums for one of the worst nights of his life just for some strange. 

Zack had left him there after Cloud had been acting like an actual crazy person. He had left him in the hotel room as Cloud proceeded to get himself off so many times that night he felt like he might die from dehydration, and yet it still didn’t seem like enough. He had woken up sober and much more within his right mind, but that didn’t stop the damage that he had done. 

He had gotten drunk and threw himself at Zack, one of his only friends. He had embarrassed himself, and probably ruined his chances of ever getting into SOLDIER with whatever he had said to Sephiroth. He tried to remember what they had talked about after the attack, but all he could recall was those strange glowing eyes staring into his, and how he now knew the way his hair smelled. 

He remembered the way Zack’s hair smelt too. He remembered everything about the raven haired SOLDIER. In the midst of his drunken debauchery of himself, Cloud had pictured Zack to be the one between his legs, recalling every minute detail in his fantasies as he cried for him in that hotel room. He yowled like a cat in heat for the one he wanted, but Zack didn’t come back. He woke up the next morning to find a new keycard had been dropped off at the hotel desk with all of his credentials. 

That was a week ago. Zack wouldn’t take his calls. Cloud couldn’t find him in any of the training halls. He was never in the cafeteria. He could be on a mission he supposed, but somehow he knew that wasn’t true either. It was like he could feel him. He rubbed at his stomach as a cramp went through it and he longed to just be able to explain himself to him. To apologize for being drunk and ruining what was between them. There was just something wrong with him. There was something happening to him, and he needed someone to talk to about it. 

“Hey Dollface, you going to block the door all night?” a voice spoke from behind him, and Cloud flinched as he realized he had zoned out so badly he had let someone sneak up on him. He spun in his Shinra blues to face the SOLDIER, stumbling into an apologetic salute. 

“Sorry sir,” Cloud apologized to the auburn haired man who was clad in a dark red leather. He had seen him around before when he had been up to Zack’s apartment. Genesis he thought. 

“Oh, you don’t have to be sorry about anything,” Genesis assured him, and Cloud swallowed at the way his eyes roamed him up and down. “I know who you are,” he murmured, whistling. “The floor is all a stir about you.”   
Cloud’s eyebrows knitted in confusion. “What are you talking about?” he questioned the SOLDIER, forgetting his station as he shifted in his confusion. 

“Well I suppose not the entire floor, but I did get a chance to see Sephiroth’s secret project.” The words only furthered his confusion as he watched Genesis warily, taking a step back as he didn’t trust this man. 

“Do you always speak in riddles?” he questioned. 

“No,” Genesis corrected. “Most of the time it’s poetry.” Cloud’s eyes widened in realization as he remembered Zack walking him to the hotel, quoting LOVELESS to him as he squeezed his hand. 

“My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I?” Cloud quoted softly, and he saw a fire spark behind Genesis’ glowing eyes. 

“All that awaits you is a somber morrow. No matter where the winds may blow/.” Genesis continued, grinning from ear to ear. “Not just pretty face then,” he stepped closer. “And you are pretty.” Cloud stepped back again, trying not to show fear as this man made him nervous. 

“Do you know where Zack is?” Genesis arched a finely shaped brow at that as he tilted his head. 

“Not Sephiroth?” he questioned. “That’s very interesting.”

“Why would I be looking for Sephiroth?” Cloud questioned right back, confused. 

“Who isn’t in some way?” Genesis breathed dreamily, pulling out his keycard. “I shouldn’t be doing this, but what the hell? I’m bored, and this poses the possibility of some fun.” 

Cloud eyed him warily as he said that, unlocking the door as it slid open to the stairway. “Why would you get in trouble? Zack has had me up there before.” 

Genesis grinned lecherously at that. “Has he?” the SOLDIER questioned suggestively, and Cloud blushed as he realized what he had said. 

“It’s not like that!” Cloud defended. 

“It’s exactly like that,” Genesis assured him. “Here...let me show you.” He motioned for him to walk through the door, and Cloud had a bad feeling about whatever was making Genesis look so smug, but this might be his only opportunity to get up to Zack. 

“We’re just friends,” he argued as they headed up the stairs, glaring back at Genesis as the other snickered. “What did you mean when you said Sephiroth’s secret project?”

“Why?” Genesis asked mockingly. “Do you think a cadet has the clearance to hear any of Shinra’s secrets?” He laughed offhandedly. “Your mediocrity is distasteful.” 

“I’m trying to be a SOLDIER!” Cloud defended. 

“Hmm,” Genesis hummed. “Not trying very hard are you, or are you going for a different approach?” he questioned as they climbed. 

“What do you mean?” Cloud asked in front of the door way as Genesis seemed to loom over him. 

The SOLDIER grinned almost cruelly down at him. “Well, if you can’t beat em...beat em, right? Is it just Zack, or Sephiroth too? I saw your file on his desk.” 

A coldness spread through Cloud at those words as he stared up into amber glowing eyes. “Why would General Sephiroth have my file?” 

Genesis arched a brow in thought. “Why indeed?” he questioned, before walking passed him. “Zack’s apartment is the last door on the left, but I’m positive you already knew that.” Genesis waved behind him, slipping into the first door on the right. 

Cloud glanced around as he tried to digest everything Genesis had been hinting at. One thing was clear, he definitely thought him and Zack were sleeping together. Did everyone think that? No, they were friends, and Cloud had been stupid the other night, but he refused to believe he had tainted things so badly. As for the thing with Sephiroth, he couldn’t even consider why he had his folder on his desk without considering his own safety. Something Sephiroth had asked him in his drunken stupor. … “What are you?” Just another of the million reasons he needed Zack. He was scared about what was happening to him, and Zack could help. He always helped. 

That’s why even though he knew Zack didn’t want to see him right now, he had to go to him anyways. He needed him. He just needed to see that he was okay, and then he would leave. It was one of the more innocent lies he told himself lately. His feet carried him down the hallway before he could stop himself, knocking on Zack’s door as he tried not to be resentful at the penthouse they were given when he was stuffed in a room with other cadets four deep. 

He shifted in nervousness as the door wasn’t opened right away, hearing no movement as he knocked again. Was he sleeping? Was he sick? He was about ready to leave before someone saw him up here when he heard the lock turn, and the door slowly opened. 

“Zack…” Cloud said a little breathlessly. In part because Zack looked awful. His skin was flushed and sweaty, his hair was greasy and sticking up on all ends, he didn’t look like he had showered in days as he rubbed at his blood shot eyes. The second reason was because Zack looked incredible. He was clothed only in loose fitting basketball shorts hanging low on his hips, which revealed a perfect v line leading up to toned abs. His eyes, bloodshot though they may be were glowing an almost electric violet as he practically clutched at the door frame when he saw him on the other side. 

“What are you doing here, Spike?” Zack asked, sounding almost pained as he swallowed hard. “You need to go, okay? You need…” 

Cloud was already pushing passed him, concern etched on his face. “You look terrible,” he grabbed Zack’s hand. “Come on, I’ll make you soup or something.” 

“Soup?” The SOLDIER questioned in confusion as he was pulled into the apartment. “I’m serious, Cloud. You can’t be here right now.” Cloud ignored the plea, even though the rejection pained him as he glanced around the apartment, mouth hanging slightly open. 

It looked like a tornado had come through. Zack normally lived in a well kept bros’ den full of leather and video games. The couch was ripped to shreds, the tv was tipped over, the glass kitchen table was shattered into a thousand tempered glass pebbles. 

Cloud spun to face Zack who looked very much like he was trying not to vomit as he covered his nose and mouth. “Are you okay? Is this because of what happened?” Cloud stepped closer as the SOLDIER stepped away as if terrified. “Zack, I’m sorry.” 

Zack’s eyes knitted at the statement, reluctantly removing his hand from his mouth. “Why are you apologizing?” he managed.

The blond motioned around. “Did I do this?” he didn’t understand it all, but he remembered bits and pieces from that night. “Did I make you like this?”

Zack put his hand over his mouth again, before realizing what he was doing and lowering it slowly as he seemed to be struggling to understand the question. “I did this to myself,” he assured him, eyes glazed, and Cloud saw how his torso was dripping with sweat. “I signed the contract, and I let them turn me into a monster.” 

“You’re not a monster!” Cloud said in frustration as he saw the self hate on Zack’s face. “Whatever is happening to you is happening to me too, and I never signed a contract!” 

Zack’s eyes went far away at that as he seemed to consider it. “What’s happening to me... I heard you in that room. I heard you crying out for me...begging for me, and do you know what I did Cloud?” 

Shame and arousal swirled in his stomach as the cramps started again, and he saw as they did Zack once more covered his mouth. It was him. It was the way he smelled. He had heard how much he wanted him, and he was this disgusted over it. “What did you do?” Cloud asked softly, because Zack seemed to be waiting for an answer. 

“I went to Honey Bee Inn, and I fucked anyone I could get my hands on until I passed out, and then I woke up, and I did it all over again.” Zack told him as Cloud’s face hardened into a line of pain. “And I kept finding people, but it never helped. It never stopped the wanting. Nothing ever stops the wanting.” 

Cloud wanted to say a million things. He wanted to tell Zack he was a bastard for going to others. He wanted to comfort him for the obvious pain he was in. He wanted to run away from this entire situation and never look back. He wanted to scream at how unfair it was that Shinra had done this to him. Instead he said. “You stink. Why don’t I run you a bath?” 

“A bath?” Zack asked incredulously, laughing. “Did you hear what I said, Spike? Did you hear about how I fucked until my dick was so raw it was bleeding? Did you hear about what I really am?” 

His head fell at the reminder. “I heard,” he managed, choking on his hurt as he headed back towards the bathroom. 

“No!” Zack demanded, stalking forward and grabbing his forearm to spin him around. “You. Need. To. Go.” 

Cloud spun on him then, hurt being replaced by anger. “Why? So you can go call some more hookers to screw until your dick is bloody?” he yelled at him. “I’m trying to help you!” 

“You’re not helping!” Zack yelled right back, and Cloud flinched as he had never heard him raise his voice before. “You caused this! Whatever you are...it’s doing this to me. I want you so. Badly.” Zack breathed out in pain. “All I can think of is sinking my teeth into you as I knot you. I don’t even know what that means!” Zack yelled in frustration. “Why would I want to bite you? I’m not an animal, and yet…” his nails dug into his arms as he tried to explain himself. “I’m acting like a rabid wolf.” 

“Screw you Zack!” he yelled at the frustrated SOLDIER who had never been anything but kind to him. “I’m not leaving,” Cloud pointed to the bathroom. “Go.” he said sternly. “I did this to you, and so I’m going to help you, and then if you never want to speak to me again you don’t have to.” 

Zack glowered at him from the hallway, obviously debating with himself how set he was on arguing. He gave a sigh, resigning himself to his fate as he stalked forward and passed him towards the bathroom. Cloud gave a slight smile as he heard the water begin to run in the tub. 

Cloud waited outside the room until he heard a splash in the tub, and then he steeled his nerves and walked into the room. The spittle in his mouth dried at the sight of Zack in the tub, his toned wet body was enough to make a slight whine leave his throat as he exhaled his frustration. 

“Listen…” he managed as he leaned against the doorway, watching the way Zack’s eyes were slammed shut as he tried to get his body to stop trembling. “We both know I did this. I don’t know why, and I don’t know what’s happening, but I think I know why it’s happening to you.” 

The SOLDIER gripped the sides of the tub tight, taking a deep breath before violet eyes looked up at him. “Because I’m weak?” 

Cloud shook his head. “No, Zack you’re the strongest person I know. I know how badly you’re hurting right now, and yet you’re still talking to me.” 

Zack snorted. “Yeah, well you didn’t give me much of a choice.” 

The blond smiled. “Yeah, well you’re doing it all the same.” Cloud stepped closer, ignoring the warning glare from Zack as he sunk down to his knees behind the clawed tub. “You didn’t need to go to those girls.” 

“Who said they were girls?” Zack questioned, causing Cloud to blush as their eyes locked. “You’re pushing it being this close.” 

“You’re right,” Cloud managed, trying to get over the fact that Zack had been screwing other men. For some reason it felt worse. “I’m going to get too wet.” He slipped off his uniform jacket, throwing it across the room as he kneeled in just a white t-shirt and blue trousers. “I don’t want you to sleep with other men.” 

The SOLDIER didn’t say anything for awhile, leaning back into the steaming bath. “Why?” He finally asked. “What does it matter who I sleep with?” Bleary violet out turned towards him slowly, as if searching for something on his face. 

Cloud’s heart was pounding in his chest as he met those eyes, aching from the way Zack was hurting. All because of him. He reached out hesitantly, running his hands through the damp spikes. “You didn’t have to go that night in the hotel. You know I didn’t want you to go.” He knitted his eyebrows, trying to express what he was feeling. “I would have let you...I wanted you to.” 

Zack shuddered in the tub, looking sick again as he curled up into himself. “Cloud please...I don’t have much control right now, and I won’t touch you like this.” 

He shook his head in denial as he watched the struggle on his friend’s face. Zack thought he was a monster. He thought this was his doing, but they were the same. “Why wouldn’t I want to touch you like this?” Cloud was infatuated with him. He always had been. He stood up, not bothering to remove the rest of his clothes as he swung his legs over the side, sliding into the water as it splashed all over the floor as he pulled Zack to his lips. 

Pleasure exploded under his skin as he found those lips, not knowing what made him so bold as he could only go on instincts as he cupped Zack’s cheeks, drawing him close as he begged him not to hate himself. He tried to pour how much he wanted this into the kiss, moaning as he pressed against that hard warm flesh that seemed flushed with arousal. 

The water sloshed all over the floor as Zack surged forward, grabbing at Cloud to get his hands underneath him. The blond moaned as that same overwhelming feeling of want swept through him, his stomach cramping with need as his cock hardened the second he felt those hands on him. Zack lifted him up into his arms as he stood up in the tub, Cloud not hesitating in wrapping his legs around the toned waste as Zack stumbled out of the bathtub, their lips locked the entire time as the SOLDIER’s tongue pushed into his mouth. 

Cloud grunted as he was slammed into the wall, Zack moaning with need as he pulled back to look at him. His eyes had flooded that same glowing violet as he watched him, as if studying his prey as hands traveled down his body. “Why don’t you know what’s good for you?” 

Blue eyes scanned those strange glowing ones, and if he had been more coherent he would have been asking what was happening to them both. He couldn’t manage though, not when Zack was looking at him like that. “You’re good for me.” He cupped his face as Zack turned slightly to kiss his wrist. “Look what I did to you though.” Why had he come here? Why had he forced his way into the bath when Zack had begged him to leave? 

Zack didn’t reply, burying his face instead into Cloud’s soaked chest, inhaling his scent as he shuddered against him, hands kneading into his buttocks as he held him tight. He seemed to be warring with himself. ...Warring with his own self control. 

They ripped away from the wall as Zack kissed him once again, and Cloud buried his hands in those wet spikes as he clung to the SOLDIER, moaning out his wants as he anticipated being thrown on the bed. 

Instead a door was ripped open behind him, and he was dropped unceremoniously out into the hall. Cloud grunted in pain as he turned betrayed eyes up towards the other, stomach turning with the refusal as he didn’t understand. 

Zack’s arms were spread, gripping the door frame as his shoulders shook. Cloud’s eyes widened when he saw how Zack was practically panting, his teeth sharp and drawn. “Go home. I promise we’ll talk when I’m better. I promise I’ll help you when I’m better.” The SOLDIER was staring down at him in morose. “I know you’re hurting Spike, and I want to help you...but I’m not going to do anything now but hurt you. So please...please just go back to your room.” 

Cloud opened his mouth to respond, but the door shut before he could, slamming in his face and leaving him soaked to the bone out in the hallway. The snickering coming from down the hallway made him flinch, and he turned to see Genesis, covering his mouth with a gloved hand as his snickering turned into all out cackles. 

He hid his face in shame, angry tears springing to his eyes as he pushed himself up, stomping down the hall to where the other was standing. “Do you think this is funny!?” he demanded, angry tears spilling down his cheeks as insanity consumed reason and he reached out to slap the other to get that snickering to stop. 

Genesis caught the hand, still grinning as he pulled the other close and into his apartment. Cloud struggled against him, shoving him away as he warily pulled back. “What the hell are you doing?” 

“Saving you from future embarrassment?” he suggested, amusement still evident in his tone. “You must have really pissed him off. That apartment has been a revolving door for the last week.” He eyed him. “You that bad in bed?” 

“You always this big of an asshole?” Cloud asked right back, beyond embarrassed as he stood there shaking and dripping all over Genesis’ living room. 

Genesis shrugged as he thought about. “Probably,” he agreed. “I’ll get you some dry clothes. You’re shaking like a leaf.” He headed back towards his bedroom, and Cloud wiped furiously at his eyes as rejection and shame ate at him. What was wrong with him? Should he not have come? Had he pushed himself on Zack? 

“Don’t be a baby,” Genesis murmured, still grinning as he handed over the clothes. “Bathroom is down the hall. There’s fresh towels and the like.” 

Cloud reached out to take the clothes, eyes blurry from tears as he watched him. “Why are you helping me?” He watched him in suspicion, drowning too much in self loathing to be able to act like the Shinra soldier he was supposed to be. 

Genesis just shrugged. “Told you, I’m bored. This place is tedious. You’ll find that out.” He pointed behind Cloud’s shoulder. “Go. You’re ruining my carpet.” 

He glanced down at the wet stain he had left. “I’m sorry,” he managed, warm tears pouring down his face. “I just wanted to help him.” 

An exasperated sigh filled the room as Genesis shook his head. “God you’re like a kicked puppy.” He mumbled to himself about strays before heading into the kitchen and grabbing for two glasses off the bar. “Go change before I have to strip you.” 

He finally did what he was told, not wanting to get thrown out of two apartments in a row as he went to the bathroom. He was trembling as he slowly removed the wet clothing, watching as it landed in a wet slop on the tiled floor. 

The SOLDIER had given him black sweatpants and a black t-shirt. Genesis was thin, but still a bit more bulky than him. That became apparent as he pulled the clothing over his skinny frame, running his hands through his damp hair to fix his spikes. He wiped at his eyes, not wanting to look in the mirror for fear of seeing what a pathetic specimen he made. He balled up his clothing, sticking it in the hamper as he figured if he never saw the uniform again the worst they could do was kick him out of Shinra and put him out of his misery. 

Cloud padded across the carpet as Genesis was still in the kitchen nursing a glass of amber liquid. When he saw that he was changed he slid the second glass close. “Go ahead. It’ll make you feel better.” 

“I doubt that,” Cloud murmured, remembering that alcohol was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. 

Genesis sighed as he took another sip. “Always works for me.” He swallowed, watching him as Cloud picked up the glass for a drink. “Do you know what’s happening with Fair right now?” 

“He’s…” Cloud started right away, before realizing that he had no idea what was going on with Zack. His arousal was obviously heightened as his own was, but he had no idea why. The beast in his blood? How could that even be possible? “I don’t know,” he admitted with annoyance. 

The auburn haired SOLDIER seemed to be debating with himself on what he should say. “They warn us about side effects when we go through the procedure. One of the side effects they label as an ‘overactive libido’” Genesis said in air quotes, laughing snidely to himself as he poured another glass. “What they really meant was that when something sets you off you lose your fucking mind for a few weeks.” 

“Weeks?” Cloud asked with shock, not able to imagine Zack suffering like that any further. 

Genesis hummed the agreement in his throat. “I’ve only ever seen it happen once besides with Fair. They induced it as a punishment.” A hand tightened around the glass. “The kid fell in love. Was going to get married and leave Shinra.” Genesis’ eyes were far away. “They induced the rut as they called it, and they made us all watch that kid rip the girl he loved apart.” his voice was haunted with disgust. “It didn’t faze him. They just gave him over to warm body after warm body until his wants were sated, as if they were doing him a favor.” 

Cloud felt sick as all he could picture was Zack down in the slums, not able to help himself at Honey Bee Inn as he fucked himself bloody. “What happened to him?” He found himself asking even though he knew he didn’t want to really know. 

“He came out of his stupor eventually,” Genesis murmured with distaste, before downing the glass. “He saw he had ripped apart his girlfriend, and he shot himself in the face.” 

Glassy blue eyes looked up toward Genesis in shock. “Why is it happening to Zack?” 

Genesis shrugged. “Dunno. They always referred to it as a punishment, but I saw the name on the syringe they stuck into his neck. Project O.” he answered, knitting his brows. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this. They’d probably kill me if they knew...or I suppose they’d try at least.” 

“Why isn’t he under observation, or in the hospital?” Cloud questioned, in physical pain now as he could practically sense the way Zack must be hurting. 

Amber eyes narrowed at the question. “Do you honestly think we wouldn’t protect him from that? That we would let them find out?” 

“You let me up here!” Cloud accused. 

“Are you going to tell them?” Genesis asked questioningly, false surprise in his tone. 

“Of course not!” Cloud practically growled. 

Genesis’ eyes were narrowed and mocking as he leaned across the counter. “Than go do something about it.” 

Cloud watched Genesis, finally understanding what the other was trying to do as he gave a slight nod. “Thanks for the clothes.” This was met with a smirk as an eyebrow arched in a dismissed good-bye as Cloud turned and left. 

He padded barefoot back towards Zack’s door, reaching out and smiling as it was unlocked. He pushed it open softly, not wanting to risk getting thrown out again as he stepped into the disaster that was Zack’s apartment. 

Following the wet trail on the floor back to the bedroom, Cloud’s chest ached at seeing Zack with his head buried in the mattress, writhing in pain on the bed as he clutched at his head as if that would make his suffering stop. 

Cloud had done this. Whatever smell they had been talking about...whatever substance was between his legs...it had done this. 

Not wanting to risk asking permission and getting thrown back out of the room again, Cloud crawled up onto the bed and behind the writhing body. 

Zack actually sobbed as Cloud’s hands slid up his burning hot back. “Spike…” he managed, his voice whining out in horror. “I told you to leave. I told you I’d hurt you.”

“Sshhhh…” Cloud cooed, rubbing at the burning skin as he shifted in the bed so that he was laying completely behind him, arm wrapping around the other’s chest and pulling him close. “You would never hurt me,” he breathed into his ear. 

“It hurts. I want you so bad it hurts.” Zack gasped out, but leaned back into his arms. Cloud squeezed tighter as the other shook, free hand reaching up to card through dark spikes. 

“I want you,” Cloud managed. “When you get better. It’ll be perfect, and you won’t hurt me,” he assured him. “But now you just need to relax. I’m here...I’m not going to leave you.” 

“It’s another lie. My mind keeps lying to me.” Cloud swore he would see whatever scientist had done this to Zack pay. He would shoot the bastard up with whatever Project O was, and let him go through all of this. 

“I’m right here,” he cooed. “Not going anywhere. You just need sleep.” He let instincts take over as he squeezed him tight. “Alpha...sleep….” he used that keening voice he had used in the hotel room, feeling Zack shudder against him, before his spine finally began to relax. 

“Cloud…” Zack managed, sounding almost drugged as he leaned back against him. 

“That’s it,” Cloud praised, stroking his hair softly. “Just relax...it’s over. It’s over now...and we’ll get through this.” Zack’s eyes were shut as his panting began to even out. “My Alpha…” he managed from instinct, fighting his own arousal for comfort as he pulled the blanket over both of them. “Just sleep...we’ll figure it out in the morning, okay?” he asked, and Zack made a nonsensical sound low in his throat. “Just sleep.” He didn’t know if he was commanding himself or Zack that time, but the result was the same as he drifted off, fingers still splayed through the spikes with the SOLDIER nestled in his arms. They would figure it out together.   
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,


	4. Hesitation

Chapter 4: Hesitation

Cloud sighed as he woke up warm...safe. He had never woken up to feeling so content as arms surrounded him, and his face was buried in a hard chest, rising up and down along with the other’s breathing. He smiled as he realized Zack was finally sleeping soundly after a night full of tossing and turning with his nightmares. 

He ran his hands up Zack’s torso as he stretched, feeling slightly guilty over taking advantage of the situation and waking up next to the SOLDIER. He needed him though. Zack had been in pain, and now he was sleeping soundly. If it meant taking advantage of the situation to stop the other’s pain, well then he wouldn’t apologize for it. 

Cloud leaned up to kiss messy black spikes, smiling once more to himself as the urge to lean into those lips was almost overwhelming. However, that would be taking advantage, and he was slightly above molesting Zack in his sleep, no matter how attractive he looked while doing so. 

He kissed the top of his head again instead, sliding out of the warm bed as he saw the SOLDIER stretch in his sleep to reach for him. Zack seemed overly sensitive to his smell, maybe the way Cloud had all but coiled around him as he slept would keep him in that relaxed state. 

He glanced at the clock as he padded down the hall, cursing as he knew he was going to be late for patrol. He had 20 minutes to get changed and down on the train leading to the slums before he got his ass chewed once again for punctuality. Would Zack understand why he had to leave? He hoped so, the other knew how much he wanted to get into SOLDIER. The next time he was written up for punctuality he would get a permanent mark on his record. 

Doing his best to keep quiet, Cloud slid open the door carefully, moving quickly down the hallway as he was praying the stairwell would let him down without a keycard. His prayers were answered as he slid into the stairwell, cringing at the pain in his feet as he ran down the metal steps to get back towards the dorms. 

Cloud snuck around the corner, avoiding any roaming eyes as he was still clothed in Genesis’ sweats, and he had no doubt there would be more than a few questions if he was spotted like this. The last thing he wanted people to think was that he was sleeping his way through SOLDIER. Though, judging from both Genesis’ and Sephiroth’s comments, people already thought that. Had Zack said something? They weren’t together, and so he supposed it was probably only rumor and speculation. They spent a lot of time together. Cloud wished it were more. He wished they weren’t always so busy, but it had never been more until that night in the hotel. Should he apologize for it leading somewhere he had been longing for? Should he apologize that it had caused a substance leaking between his thighs for Zack to finally make a move? 

He made it back to his room, sliding open the door and thanking whoever was listening that the others had already headed out on patrol. He dug through his chest, pulling out a spare uniform and changing as quickly as possible. 

Cloud ran down the hall, getting out of the doors and towards the train with five minutes to spare before the security system began running IDs and they could tell just how late he was. Once on the train he sunk on the seat in relief, stupid smile covering his face as he thought back to the bath. They had kissed. Zack had kissed him. Even if the other had been out of it at the time, it was still the best kiss he had ever had in his life. 

“You look positively elated,” a voice spoke from his side, and Cloud started in his effort to sit up straighter as he noticed the white lab coat under his overcoat. A Shinra scientist. He thought he recognized the long almost greasy black hair surrounding the thick glasses. 

“Professor Hojo,” Cloud acknowledged a greeting, going to stick his helmet over his head, before a hand reached out to stop him. 

“You know who I am?” The professor asked, and Cloud fought the shudder that threatened to go down his spine at the feel of that hand on his arm. 

“I’ve seen you around,” Cloud murmured, glancing around the train as nobody had yet been clued into their conversation. People on the train normally didn’t pay attention to their surroundings, just trying to get to their destinations without having any kind of human interaction. So why was this scientist striking up conversation with a cadet? 

“Have you?” Hojo asked with amusement, not removing the hand from his arm. “Is that where you think we know each other from? You just seeing me around?” 

Cloud felt like ice water had been poured down his spine, warning bells going off in his mind as he tried to rip his arm away, only to have the scientist hold strong. “Let go.” 

“Why?” Hojo questioned. “Am I making you nervous?” Hojo leaned in, and Cloud fought the urge to pull his weapon on the man as hot acrid breath puffed in his face. “I don’t think it’s safe for you to go to patrol today. We need to give you some suppressants if we’re going to continue to play this game.” 

He saw the needle come out in almost slow motion, shoving at Hojo’s chest before it sunk deep into his neck. It felt like deja vu as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, feeling arms slip around him as his body felt like lead. 

“That’s it, my darling boy,” he heard being spoken into his ears as he was yanked up at the next stop. “I’ll fix you.” His mind flashed in memory to a white room, to a man cooing above him in the same matter. He remembered screams surrounding him, but his body being too heavy to fight. This man’s face was above him. He knew him. “Sleep...I’ll make you feel better.” He did as he was told, the room in white from his memories fading to black.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cloud grunted as a sword came swinging down towards his face. He parried the blow, staring at the burly cadet as he tried to find his balance as he put pressure on his much smaller lithe frame. He swung after throwing him off, going for the legs as the other jumped over the blow. He grunted as the man kicked out, hitting him below the chin and knocking him backwards onto the mat. 

He swung his body up off the mat as the sword came down towards his face. He swung his own at Faron, the biggest cadet in their year. He supposed his instructor had thought it was funny pairing them together. He supposed he was supposed to be made an example from. People were always underestimating him. 

Taking it at a leap, Cloud dived at the bigger male, always having a high verticle as his knees knocked into Faron’s clavicles. He bowled the other over onto the mat, eyes fierce as he pressed the sword to the other’s throat, hearing a whistle blow from behind him. 

Cloud grinned down at Faron, getting off his chest and extending a hand down. The burly dark haired late teen shook his head, before grabbing the offered hand and being helped to his feet. “Forgot how you don’t quite fight all that fair.” Faron joked, and Cloud shrugged.

“It gets results,” he managed, dusting off his workout pants. 

“That it does,” Cloud turned on his heel at the sound of the voice, eyes wide as the General of Shinra was standing there watching the display. 

“Sephiroth!” Cloud said with a start, and then blushed at the realization he had been watching that sloppy performance. “I mean, General Sephiroth, sir.” he saluted. 

Sephiroth eyed Faron who had to be at least 6’5 and weighed a hundred pounds more than he did, and Cloud saw his eyebrow arch a bit in amusement. “Do you always fight like that?” 

Cloud held up his chin in defensiveness. “I like to win, sir.” 

The other actually laughed, and the sound sent vibrations down Cloud’s spine. “Of that I have no doubt.” Sephiroth turned to Officer Layden. “I need to borrow this cadet. Do you mind if I take him from training?” 

Layden seemed to be warring between the need to suck up to Sephiroth, and giving Cloud special treatment. He supposed he didn’t blame him. He had been sick the last few weeks. Today was his first day back after being in the hospital. They had told him to take it easy, but Layden clearly wanted to punish him for slacking off. “Go ahead. We’re done for today anyways.” 

Sephiroth nodded. “I appreciate this. I’ll have him back before afternoon training.” The General motioned towards the door. “Let’s go.” 

Cloud felt all eyes on him as they made their way out of the training hall, following after Sephiroth like a puppy as they headed down the hall. He was quiet as they entered the elevator, and Cloud was only too aware of how he probably stunk of sweat from training all morning. His mind flashed to Sephiroth leaning down to smell him before, and it felt hazy, like it was a dream. 

“Is this about Zack?” Cloud questioned as Sephiroth hit the button for the first floor. Zack hadn’t come to see him when he was in the hospital. He assumed he was off on some mission. “Is he okay?” 

Sephiroth glanced curiously over at him, and Cloud felt himself shifting under the weight of that stare. “Zackary has been going out of his mind trying to get in to see you. You’ve been off limits until today.” 

Cloud’s blue eyes went wide as confusion filled him, tilting his head in confusion as his heart began to race. “What?” he questioned stupidly. “I was sick. I was in the infirmary.” They told him he had a fever. He had passed out on the train going to patrol, and someone had found him and took him to the hospital. He was lucky he wasn’t shanked on the train and left for dead. 

“Indeed,” Sephiroth murmured with thinly veiled skepticism. “Suppose you were contagious too, and that’s why you weren’t allowed visitors?” 

He frowned at the mocking tone. “I didn’t know anyone tried to come see me. I’m not exactly popular.” 

“You’re not exactly truthful either, are you Cloud?” Cloud opened his mouth to ask what that meant, but was shoved out of the elevator before he was able to get his question out. “You’ve been on lock down. Whoever put in the order was clever enough to cover their tracks, and either you’re lying, or they were clever enough to mess with your memory before letting you out.” 

Cloud glanced around at the white washed walls, eyes wide and wild as he realized he had been brought to a lab. “I don’t want to be here.” 

“Why?” Sephiroth questioned. “Seem familiar, does it?” he asked, ignoring the look of panic on the other’s face as he dragged him over to a work bench. “Hold out your arm. I need your blood.” 

The blond glanced nervously as Sephiroth began to lay out various tubes and a needle. “No,” he managed, feeling sick as he tried to remember being in the hospital. He only had snippets in his mind. Before that he had been on the train, right? Before that he had been in Zack’s bed. 

“I wasn’t asking,” Sephiroth said with impatience. “I don’t care much for being kept in the dark.” 

“So you want my blood?” Cloud questioned, stepping back as Sephiroth grabbed for his forearm. “Stop it. Just tell me what’s going on?” 

Sephiroth sighed at that, seeming to take some sort of pity from whatever he had seen on his face. “You’re not normal, you know that right? You set one of my SOLDIERs, my friend, into a state of insanity. Then you disappear for weeks. Your hospitalization was just put on the record yesterday, and by then you were being released.” 

“I was sick,” Cloud managed, heart pounding. He wasn’t supposed to be talking about any of this. He didn’t know why, but he was going to get in trouble. 

“No doubt,” Sephiroth murmured, grabbing for his arm as he tied the tourniquet around his skinny arm. “I’ve been doing my research about ancient beings. Turns out there used to be a balance in this world, an alpha and an omega.” 

“Omega?” Cloud whispered, the word tasting like ashes on his tongue, gritting his teeth as a needle plunged into his vein. 

“They were exterminated when Shinra took power and built the reactors. Every last one of them.” Sephiroth murmured. 

“Why?” Cloud questioned, watching his blood pump into the tubes. “Why would they kill them?” 

Sephiroth grinned, putting pressure on Cloud’s arm as he pulled the needle out. “Not exactly the question I had myself,” he said in curiosity, hand reaching out to grip at Cloud’s jaw, squeezing until his mouth opened and he plunged a cotton swab in. “Shinra never did want to share power. My question is, why are they trying to hide you?” 

Cloud’s eyes were fixated on the table where Sephiroth bagged up his blood and saliva, feeling more than a little violated as Sephiroth’s questions kept pouring through his mind. “They don’t know about me,” he managed. “I don’t even know about me.” he motioned to the table. “What are you going to do with all that?” 

Sephiroth glanced down as well at the table of samples, sighing. “It’s not all I need from you. For the next part...I need you to collect it yourself.” Sephiroth held up a cup, shaking it back and forth in front of him. 

Cloud stared questioningly at the plastic cup. “You want me to piss in a cup?” He turned quizzical eyes up toward the General. 

For his part, Sephiroth was actually smiling. “Not exactly,” he sighed, as if debating how she should begin. “Zackary mentioned to me that there was something rather specific that had set him off.” 

His thighs trembled as his entire body flushed. He covered his mouth in revulsion as he thought he would rather die from whatever was happening to him then to have to talk for one more second about this with Sephiroth. “He told you?” he asked in horror, not believing Zack would ever tell someone something so personal. Were they laughing at him? Was this all a joke?

Sephiroth laughed at that. “I had to pry it out of him after several drinks. Don’t sound so affronted.” 

“He told you!” Cloud bit back, wanting to hit Sephiroth as the other’s grin spread further. 

“You’re positively adorable when you’re embarrassed,” he practically purred. 

Cloud reacted then, shoving the other as anger lit through his features. “Don’t laugh at me!” He had been laughed at all his life, mocked all his life, and now this. Why couldn’t he just be normal? Why couldn’t he just be a SOLDIER?

Sephiroth grabbed at his wrists to stop any further assault, pulling him close as he leaned down into his neck, inhaling deep. “You don’t smell the same. Explains why you’re far less agreeable than you were down in the slums.” Cloud struggled against the restraint, fire lit up in his eyes as the General held strong. 

“Oh?” Cloud questioned. “Am I not interesting anymore then?” There was a time he would have begged for Sephiroth’s attention, now that he knew why he was getting it he was revolted with his own nature. “Guess I can’t give you your samples.” 

Sephiroth rolled his eyes at the display. “You’re still very interesting to me, Cloud. I’ve been dreaming about that smell since that day in the alley, and I’m not dumb enough to hold back when it comes to you and set myself into a frenzy.” 

Blond brows knitted in worry as he stared up into those cat like eyes, calming as Sephiroth dropped his wrists, hand stroking his face instead. “Is Zack okay?” he asked softly, feeling transfixed as he was pushed back against the table. 

“He’s worried about you, but nervous,” Sephiroth answered, other arm lifting him up and onto the table. 

“I make him nervous?” Cloud questioned, still locked in those eyes as Sephiroth’s fingers went to the tie on his pants. 

Sephiroth nodded slowly, tilting the blond’s head back as that silver hair cascaded around him. “You make me nervous too.” Sephiroth grabbed Cloud’s hand, and the blond let out a whine of understanding as he pushed it down below his waistband. “I need those samples if I’m going to help you.” 

Cloud’s fingers were trembling as they trailed over his own cock, feeling it twitch slightly in his hands as Sephiroth pushed the fingers lower in his boxers. “What if I don’t get wet?” 

The other moaned at that, and Cloud saw the aqua in his eyes begin to spread across his sclera, starting to glow. “Is that what you call it?” His voice was husky and low, arousal obvious as he began to move the hand in Cloud’s boxers. 

“What would you call it?” Cloud questioned, moaning as his cock began to harden. 

“Enthralling,” Sephiroth managed, reaching for the waistband of the blond’s pants, eyes searching. He was looking for permission. To what, touch him? 

Why wasn’t he saying no? Why wasn’t he shoving the other away for not being Zack? Was it because it was Sephiroth? Was it because he had hero worshipped this man since he was old enough to read? Was it because even though he no longer had a fever, and even though he no longer felt that overwhelming need, he still wanted to be claimed. 

“Your eyes are glowing,” Cloud managed, not yet giving permission as Sephiroth’s long fingers trailed across his lower belly. 

“I’m a SOLDIER, my eyes are always glowing.” Sephiroth replied with amusement, other hand encouraging Cloud’s as he began to stroke himself in his boxers. 

“Not like this,” Cloud moaned, spreading his legs wider to create room as the other pressed between him on the table. His mouth dropped open slightly as he felt the hardness pressing against his ass. 

Sephiroth’s eyes had become completely consumed by the aqua color, his teeth sharpening as he watched him, not waiting for permission as he ripped the pants down passed his knees. Cloud’s body flushed as those hungry eyes traveled down to where both of their hands covered his cock, pumping him as he moaned out. He stared hungrily down at him, and his body bowed as the hand touching him began to move faster. 

“How did he stop himself?” Sephiroth questioned, voice dark and wild. “How did he look at you and not bury himself?” He almost sounded impressed, and Cloud couldn’t seem to focus as his own hands dropped away, coming to fist within his own hair as Sephiroth pumped him. His body flushed with arousal, feeling his gut tightening with that same want as mewls began to leave his throat. 

“Sephiroth…” he managed, legs spreading wider as need took over his body. He moaned in need as he felt a wetness between his legs, slipping between his cheeks as his body prepared itself. 

Cloud reached across the table, managing to grab onto the plastic cup and thrusting it at the other’s chest, right before pleasure lit up his spine and he came all over his stomach, ruining the grey t-shirt he was wearing. 

As he came back into himself Sephiroth was putting the cap on the cup, grabbing another sample cup as he dragged it over his belly. Cloud could see how bad those hands were shaking, and he looked up to see the barely restrained insanity etched out on the other’s features. 

“Seph…” He managed to get out, before the other was blanketing him and claiming his lips. Cloud moaned as that mouth was hot and demanding, the body pressing over him as Sephiroth thrust against his ass. 

He tried to imagine a world where something like this was actually happening. He tried to wrap his mind around the fact that the General of Shinra was kissing him...had just made him cum. This was wrong. There was a very distinct reason why this was wrong. He pressed at Sephiroth’s chest, looking up in desperation. “Zack…” 

The growl that ripped through Sephiroth’s chest at the name caused his entire body to seize up in fear, head tilting to the side in submission as everything in his body called to him to succumb. His pulse was racing, and as he chanced a glance up towards Sephiroth he saw how sharp those teeth had become, and how his piercing eyes were locked on his neck. 

“He had his chance,” he managed, and Cloud’s heart nearly exploded in fear as the other leaned down to bite him. 

“Sephiroth!” Cloud cried out as those teeth closed around his neck, causing the other to pause, chest heaving as he did as his pulse beat wildly against Sephiroth’s tongue. “Don’t...don’t…” he begged. “Not yet,” 

The other didn’t bite, but didn’t pull away, just keeping him pinned down to the table with those teeth ready to rip...to bite. “Sephiroth…” Cloud tried again, not willing to admit how turned on he was at the position. It would be so easy to let this happen. In truth, deep down, he wanted it to happen. But there was Zack. This would hurt him. This would destroy him. He reached up, fingers carding through long silver tresses. “Alpha…” he managed, because it had worked with Zack. “Don’t bite…” He didn’t know what it meant, but it felt permanent. It felt like there would be no going back. 

Sephiroth pulled off his neck slowly, panting in restraint as he looked down into Cloud’s face, searching for something. “Not yet,” Sephiroth managed, voice a husky pit of need as his fingers went to his leather pants, popping open a button as he searched Cloud’s eyes. 

“Not yet,” Cloud managed, tearing his eyes away from that intense gaze to down where Sephiroth freed his engorged member from the tight leather, and Sephiroth was...huge. Cloud’s eyes flickered back up in disbelief to that gorgeous face, seeing an amused smirk spread across those fangs. 

“See something you like, Cloud?” he husked, the back of his hand stroking over Cloud’s cheek. 

“Not yet,” Cloud repeated, because he was confused, and turned on, and there was Zack, but then there was this. This felt so right. This felt so good. 

That grin widened. “You ask too much of me. I told you I didn’t have the same kind of self restraint.” 

“Wai…” Cloud tried, at the same time he was flipped over with inhuman strength. Cloud was pressed over the table, and Sephiroth pressed over his back, not hesitating in sliding his legs together and thrusting between his thighs. 

Cloud moaned as the slick between his legs acted as lubricant for his thighs, Sephiroth pressing between his legs and up against his slowly hardening cock. Sephiroth didn’t press in where he ached to be taken, instead thrusting in the mess between his legs. Their cocks slid together in the slick as Cloud reached up to grip the edge of the table, moaning uncontrollably at the feeling of the other between his legs. 

“Seph…” he managed in need, entrance spasming in need as the room stunk of their sex even if they weren’t having any. Sephiroth’s cock rubbed against his own, the other moaning into his ear. “More...more…” he begged, thrusting back against him, in that moment Zack was completely wiped from his mind as he moaned like a slut for the other. 

“Not yet…” Sephiroth repeated, thrusting hard against him as he grabbed both their cocks, and Cloud screamed as he felt both pulse as Sephiroth and his cum shot between his legs. They were both trembling messes as the SOLDIER buried his face in the back of his neck, kissing all along it as Cloud turned his face to give him more access. A mouth kissed it’s way along his chin, coming to rest on his earlobe as he panted against it. “You’re very confusing.” Sephiroth sounded almost scared. He sounded like this was something he had never experienced in his life...confusion. It made sense, the General of Shinra was always in complete control. 

“I’m sorry,” Cloud managed, sighing as he was pulled up off the table and his pants were yanked back over his hips. “Are you going to tell him?” Cloud turned hazy blue eyes to face the other, smiling as he was pulled backwards into his arms. 

“And what would I say?” Sephiroth questioned, kissing down along his neck as Cloud leaned into his arms. “That a cadet made me crazy enough to fuck my way between his legs? That I lost control?” 

“You didn’t,” Cloud assured him taking comfort in those arms as he closed his eyes and saw bright lights, a white-washed room. He saw a man leaning over him with glasses and greasy hair, asking him if he knew what he needed to do. By the time he opened his eyes again the memory was gone as if it had never been there to begin with, and he had spun in Sephiroth’s arms to pull him down to his lips. 

Sephiroth pulled back from the kiss, laying their foreheads together as he held him close. “You need to be careful,” he managed, running his hands down his back. “No one can find out about you until I understand more. If you keep making alphas act like this around you they’re going to know.” 

“That your subtle way of telling me to stay away from alphas?” Cloud questioned, pulling back to look up into those eyes that were slowly turning back to cat like. 

Sephiroth rose an eyebrow at the question. “Are you asking me about Zackary?” 

Cloud shook his head. “I don’t need your permission to be with him.” 

A soft growl went through Sephiroth’s chest as he pushed away from the other reluctantly. “Not yet,” he agreed, eyeing him, looking barely restrained as he grabbed for the samples. “If all blood draws went like this, I may not have minded my life so much.” 

Cloud smiled at that. “Pervert,” he managed, knowing he was just as guilty for what had transpired. It had caused only more questions rather than answers. It had caused irreparable guilt as he considered what he had done to Zack. Then again, they weren’t together. Zack had fucked all those people while he was lost in a haze. How was this different? Why was it wrong at all when the other hadn’t even claimed him? 

“You have no idea,” Sephiroth teased, leaning in to kiss almost softly at his cheek. “Until next time, Cloud.” 

Until next time...why did it all feel so wrong? Why did it feel like there was something just beyond the veil of his consciousness that was screaming at him to run away? Why hadn’t Zack come to him when he had the chance? All he had were questions as Sephiroth gathered up the samples and left. Why did he have the feeling that there would absolutely be a next time, and he didn’t want to stop it?  
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...that wasn't supposed to happen. This story took on a bit of a life of its own when it comes to Sephiroth/Cloud. Hopefully you enjoyed the loss of control, and the beginnings of a plot


	5. Here There Be Dragons

Chapter 5: Here There Be Dragons

“Duck!” Cloud dived out of the way as bullets came flying at his head. He grunted in pain as he rolled down the hill, the cadet uniform barely padding the blows from the ground. He hopped up as soon as he hit, rearranging his helmet as he fired his own weapon. His head was ringing from the sound as gunfire echoed throughout the Wutai valley. He had come on a mission with Genesis who had brought a handful of cadets with him to put down part of the resistance that had attacked them that night in Midgar. 

It had been pretty quiet when they had arrived near the town, but it had all been a rouse. They ambushed them 50 feet from the entrance, shooting Cadet Matthews through the eye not four feet from where Cloud was standing. It had only been blood shed since. Fear and adrenaline coursed through his spine as bullets sprayed from his gun, passing through a Wutai soldier slashing down at him. The sword came down regardless, and Cloud screamed as the blade tore through his shoulder pad, just stopping as it began to cut through the flesh. 

He spun the gun around, smashing the butt of it into the soldier’s face who was bleeding bullets. “I’m sorry…” he managed as the corpse fell and his blood leaked all over the ground. He hadn’t yet gotten used to killing. He didn’t think he ever would. 

“Stop apologizing to the corpses,” Genesis yelled, and Cloud grunted as he was grabbed from behind. “Move your ass! We have to get to cover!” 

Cloud did as he was told, running behind Genesis as he kept his head down. The SOLDIER led them down towards an old farmhouse, grabbing him and dragging him towards a shed as he kicked the door open. They both dived inside as they dodged gun fire. His heart was hammering in his chest as he moved towards the window, staying out of the way of the fire as he smashed it open and stuck out the viewpoint of his gun for cover. 

“How did they know we were coming?” he yelled back towards the SOLDIER who was currently digging through his bag. 

“Have you ever known Shinra to come into anywhere and be subtle?” Genesis questioned, grabbing out a red materia and slotting it into his bangle. 

Blue eyes widened at the sight of it, having never seen that kind of materia in real life. “Is that a Summon?” he questioned, almost breathless. 

“Like I said,” Genesis murmured. “Shinra has never been known to be subtle.” The auburn haired SOLDIER pointed at him. “Stay here, and take cover when it comes.” 

“When what comes?” Cloud asked almost breathlessly, diving back as bullets sprayed through the window. 

“I daresay you’ll know when you see it,” Genesis replied, grinning as he threw open the door and began to chant. Cloud could do little else besides stare up at the sky as the clouds turned red, and all air began to taste like sulfur. He heard screams light up the sky as he moved in front of the window to watch as a giant red dragon appeared from the ether and swept death through the sky. 

His knees became weak as fire burned across the farmhouse, searing flesh and bone as it murdered indiscriminately as Genesis commanded. He watched in both horror and fascination as Shinra troopers joined the fray as they screamed along with the rest as their bones turned to ash. 

The great beast set the world into flames, and then returned back into the burning sky as the only thing left standing in its wake was the SOLDIER, almost inhumanely beautiful amongst the cinders. The pain in Cloud’s arm was a distant memory as he put together what had happened here, running out the door into the ruined earth as he pulled off his helmet. 

“Genesis, what did you do!?” he yelled at the SOLDIER, eyes glued on the melted face plate of Andrew’s helmet. He did his best not to focus in on the burnt out eyeballs that were currently oozing into the earth. 

Genesis glanced back at him, his eyes almost glowing orange as fire burned behind him. “What does it look like, little trooper?” he asked, amusement in his tone, and Cloud couldn’t conceive how he could be amused after he had just slaughtered hundreds. The air stunk of cooked flesh, 10 of the bodies at least from their own. Cloud understood. Genesis had to do what he had, or they would have all been dead, but he didn’t even try to help the others. 

“You didn’t even warn them,” he accused, disgust thick on his tone. 

Genesis glanced around to the corpses, scoffing before glancing back. “There wasn’t time.” 

“You warned me!” Cloud bit back, motioning around to the carnage. “You could have saved any of them instead! You are a SOLDIER...you can save anyone!” 

A cold laughter filled the air as Genesis had the gall to laugh at him. “Where do you get off lecturing me after I saved your scrawny ass?” he questioned. “Especially when you know exactly why I chose you.” 

Cloud knitted his eyebrows, not understanding the insinuation as his fists clenched over his anger. “Why, because Zack’s my friend?” he asked. “Because Sephiroth is…” 

Genesis lips stretched thin into a leer. “Sephiroth’s what? Huh? I dare you to finish that sentence, little trooper.” 

He couldn’t, because he didn’t know the answer. He hadn’t talked to Zack in weeks, and it wasn’t for lack of trying, and Sephiroth had been away to the Northern Continent since the day after they had done...whatever they had done. Sephiroth had left without giving him any answers about who he was...what he was. It was cruel. 

“He’s helping me,” Cloud finally answered with, not knowing a better way to describe the tests Sephiroth had promised him he would run. “What does it matter?” he questioned, still horrified with what was around him. “They were your men, and you should have protected them.” 

Genesis rolled his eyes. “They were expendable.” 

“And what am I then?” Cloud bit right back as the SOLDIER stared at him in disgust. 

“Less expendable,” he motioned incredulously. “This is the least amount of gratitude I’ve ever received after saving somebody’s life!” he glowered. “You should be kissing my goddamn boots, not looking at me like I’m the devil.” He pointed towards Cloud. “I have orders to keep you alive, dumbass. Now shut your mouth, and let’s go find what we were sent out here for.”

Cloud didn’t move, crossing his arms as he glared at Genesis, trying not to let the absolute shock and revulsion he was feeling cover his face. “What do you mean you have orders to keep me alive?” he asked, jaw hard as he fought down the nausea as bile began to ooze out of the cooked flesh at his feet. “From who? For fuck’s sake, why?” 

Genesis grabbed the bridge of his nose, as if he were trying to prevent a headache from coming on. The SOLDIER had just murdered a hundred people, and it was apparently his questions that was causing him strife. “I don’t have to answer any of your questions, and as a matter of fact, I can’t. It’s above your clearance.” 

Ice water poured down his spine even amongst the smouldering flames. Above his clearance...that didn’t mean Sephiroth or Zack. Someone else then. Greasy hair...thick frames watching him on a train...white light of a laboratory. He cringed as pain went through his head, and he grabbed at it. The memory was gone as he shook off his confusion. 

“Why did we come here?” Cloud questioned the SOLDIER. “I thought it was in retaliation to what had happened in Midgar.” 

Genesis laughed at that, shrugging. “I mean, you’re not wrong. We are retaliating, but did you ever ask yourself why those Wutai bastards chose that exact moment to sneak into the city?” 

Blond eyebrows knitted as Cloud tried to figure out why the SOLDIER was looking at him in such amusement. “Are you implying they weren’t just there to attack?” 

“Give the cadet a prize!” Genesis mocked. “No, Cloud, they were not just there to attack. There is an asset within the city worth the death of those soldiers.” Genesis motioned around. “Worth the death of these as well. The only difference here is that they foolishly thought they had the upper hand.” 

Cloud blinked a few times as he stared at him, mouth opening and closing as he thought about what he was implying. “Me?” 

“Why little trooper, you’re awfully full of yourself,” Genesis mocked. 

“I just thought,” Cloud started, cheeks heating in absolute embarrassment, even amongst the carnage. “You just made it seem…” He stopped talking, feeling flustered as he stared at the ground. 

“Relax,” The SOLDIER crooned, walking over and turning his bangle to reveal a green light. “I’ll heal your shoulder, and then we can go get our prize.” 

Cloud sighed as his flesh knitted back together, feeling guilt as he looked around at all the bodies who could have been healed in his stead. “It was amazing,” he managed. “Horrific, but amazing.” He looked up into Genesis’ amber eyes. “I’ve never seen a dragon before.” 

“Neo Bahumut can create quite the show,” Genesis agreed. 

“It shouldn’t be the way it is,” Cloud managed, sadness washing over him. “How can you control such a beast?” 

“Shinra controls him,” Genesis corrected, amusement weighing down his tone. 

“He’s not a slave!” Cloud snapped. “He’s a god. It’s wrong to imprison him and make him slaughter!” 

“You’d rather the blood be on your own hands?” The SOLDIER questioned. 

“Do you not think it’s on yours just because you have something else do your bidding?” Disgust filled his tone as he shook his head at Genesis. “Everything that happened here today is wrong, but it would have been just as horrific if they had slaughtered us in surprise. Don’t you feel that? Do you not feel the consequences of murder anymore?” 

“You’re very self-righteous,” Genesis said hollowly. “You’re a slave too, you know. Just like that dragon.”

“I could leave if I wanted to,” Cloud argued right back, anger filling him at being referred to in such a way. 

“No…” Genesis easily. “You couldn’t.” He began to walk back towards the shed they had been hiding in. “Come on. I’m not supposed to leave you out on your own.” 

Cloud didn’t argue this time, and he didn’t ask anymore questions he knew he wouldn’t get the answers to. Instead, he just followed Genesis back to the shed, knowing that they had never come out here for retaliation. They had come for whatever was in that building. He had been bait. He didn’t know why, couldn’t even begin to comprehend the hints Genesis was trying to drop about what had happened down in the slums, but he could guess what it was about. Sephiroth had called him an Omega. A creature just like the Alpha cells that had been forced into the SOLDIERs. Were they after him because of that? How did they even know about that? It had just started with a stomach ache a month ago, and somehow it had led to all this. 

He sighed in relief as they momentarily got away from the roaring blaze as he looked around the shed. “What’s so special about this place?” he questioned, eyes glancing upwards as he took in the various hanging tools used for farming. “Just looks like a bunch of crap.” 

“That’s because you’ve been trained to never look beyond what’s right in front of you,” Genesis admonished, leaning down as he began to shuffle the dirt away with his gloves. Some sort of cellar was revealed as the dirt was cleared, and Genesis lifted up the latch to a bunker. 

Turning on his flashlight, Cloud came to stand over by Genesis as he pointed the light down the dark stairwell. “Well this doesn’t look ominous or anything,” he mocked, causing Genesis to snicker. 

“Yeah well...hope you’re not afraid of the dark,” Genesis pushed on his back. “You go first. If it’s an ambush you’re definitely the most expendable.” 

Blue eyes shot back a glare, but followed orders as he began to make his way down the stairwell. The smell of antiseptic filled his nose as he got to the switch at the bottom, flipping it on and staring with wide eyes at the laboratory revealed. 

“Ah,” Genesis remarked. “Well you must just feel at home,” he mocked, walking around the exam tables, eyes roaming over the restraints. “Very at home.” 

“Meaning what?” Cloud growled right back, annoyed with the insinuations. “What do you think you know about me?” 

“Nothing for you to concern your pretty blond spikes over.” Genesis pulled out his phone, dialing a number as Cloud let his fingers wander over the restraints. “Hey man, things went a little sideways. We need to meet and lay low.” 

Cloud felt cold as he glanced over the lab manuals. They were describing experiments. Some kind of procedure. 

“Breeding?” he asked out loud, eyes wide as he saw diagrams to create some kind of womb. Only the genitalia was male. “What the hell?” 

“Me and Cadet Strife,” Genesis said, laughing at whatever was said on the other line. “I’ve been taking good care of him,” Cloud couldn’t take his eyes off the pages, flipping through page after page of failures, horrified as he read of the deaths. “I am!” Genesis laughed more. “Don’t you trust me?” Cloud glanced back towards Genesis, knitting his eyebrows as he talked about him. “Yeah, we’ll be there soon. Just have to grab the package.” 

“Genesis,” Cloud breathed out once the phone had shut. “What were they doing down here?” He swallowed, stopping as he saw a familiar word. “Omega....” 

Fear gripped him as he spun around to see Genesis watching him curiously. “Why did you bring me here?” 

“You’re bait,” the SOLDIER answered easily. “You saw how they all piled into one place to get you.” 

“Why me?” Cloud bit out, horror swirling his stomach. 

“Because you’re not a failure,” Genesis motioned to the books. “Are you?” He stepped closer, and Cloud backed up as he realized how dangerous it was to be down here with someone who could murder 100 people in an instant. 

“Are you trying to say that I was an experiment?” the bile curdled in his stomach as every horrific image in that book filled him. 

“I’m not sure,” Genesis answered honestly. “Hojo didn’t specify where you came from. Just that I was supposed to play the game with him.” 

“Hojo?” Cloud questioned, knowing exactly who that was. “The scientist knows about me?” 

Genesis laughed. “I daresay he’s quite aware of you, yes,” he shrugged. “Don’t worry though. I hate that slimy bastard. I just wanted to see how far down this rabbit hole goes.” He put a hand to his chest. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m a SOLDIER too. I have the same affliction as Sephiroth and Zack. If there’s a cure...I want to find it.” 

“Cure?” he asked stupidly, being blindsided by the information. “You mean for what happened to Zack?” What he had caused to happen to Zack.

“Something like that,” Genesis mused. He made his way over to the fridge in the corner, pulling out a stack of tubes. “Here they are.” 

Cloud followed him over to the fridge, reading the label on the tube. He swallowed around the pit in his throat as he read omega all over the samples. “What are they?” 

Amber eyes glanced over at him. “Well you see a few weeks ago some Wutai soldiers broke into Midgar and managed to get some samples from a live host.” Cloud’s eyes narrowed in disbelief. They hadn’t touched him. How had they gotten samples? “Oh, they can be very subtle,” Genesis assured him, obviously reading the look on his face. “They just needed a bit to try to grow from.” 

“Why?” Cloud questioned quietly, shock pulsating through his body and leaving him numb. “Why would they?” 

The SOLDIER shot him a skeptical look. “Control,” he answered, shoving the tubes into his bag. “We’re in a war, Cloud. Controlling SOLDIERs would be everything.” he pointed to the research. “Grab that too. They’ll be reinforcements coming any time.” Genesis motioned him up the stairs, turning his bangle to reveal a green materia, before setting fire to the entire lab. 

Cloud watched it burn, flames engulfing the stairwell as he was yanked back and away. A thousand questions were burning through his mind as he felt violated from just having been there. He felt like everyone was lying to him. That he was part of something he wanted to escape from. 

“Who was on the phone?” he asked hollowly, feeling Genesis’ eyes on him. 

“Zack,” the SOLDIER answered easily. “He’s stationed a few towns down. We’re going to go hide out with him, and then catch a ride back to Midgar.” 

He snapped out of his reverie at the name, eyes widening in need to see his friend. To be able to talk to him about all of this. “Zack,” he repeated in longing, clutching the research tighter to his chest as a soft whine seemed to leave his throat. “He wants to see me?” 

Genesis laughed at that. “Well I don’t really think he has a choice, but sure, we’ll go with that...of course he wants to see you.” 

Need coursed through him then, gasping at the pain in his stomach as he watched Genesis grab at his nose and whirl around. 

“Fucking hell,” Genesis managed, bending over slightly, before righting himself. “To become the dew that quenches the land. To spare the sands, the seas, the skies. I offer thee this silent sacrifice,” Genesis quoted to himself, as if it would help him to be more calm. “I don’t know how they could stand to be around you.” 

“Screw you!” Cloud snapped, self conscious, as he held the materials tighter. 

“Calm down, it was a compliment...I think.” Genesis managed, motioning towards the exit. “Now come on. Let’s go find Zack.”   
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,,.,.


	6. Satiation

Chapter 6: Satiation 

Cloud’s leg was bouncing in nervousness as they pulled into the small village bordering Wutai. His stomach was in knots as his face pressed to the glass, fighting car sickness as he thought about just what he was going to say to Zack. Would he even want to see him? He had been avoiding him, and after what had happened, he couldn’t blame him. 

“You’re not going to puke in here, right?” Genesis grumbled warily, looking over. “You’re pale.” 

“I’m always pale,” Cloud managed back, holding his stomach as he considered the possibility that Zack might know what he had done with Sephiroth. 

“Yeah,” Genesis agreed. “But you’re a bit extra right now. Kind of green around the gills.”

“Carsick,” Cloud answered shortly, cracking the window to get some air. 

“Uh huh,” Genesis murmured suspiciously, parking the car. “Don’t worry so much. Didn’t I tell you he was excited?” 

“You were lying,” Cloud replied, gripping the handle to the truck. 

“I mean, yeah,” The SOLDIER agreed. “But probably only a little.” Genesis got out of the car, grabbing the bag of weapons he had managed to scrounge up from all the victims they had left behind. The thought of all those bodies made him want to hurl again as he followed the other, grabbing for his share. 

They made their way through the small village, heading towards the inn as Genesis motioned towards a noodle stand. “Hungry?” 

He was starving, even in his nausea. It felt like he couldn’t get enough calories lately. Maybe he had a tapeworm? “Thanks,” he reached out, grabbing Genesis’ arm. “I mean it. Thanks, for saving me back there.” 

Genesis sneered, rolling his eyes. “Don’t get sentimental on me. I told you, I was doing my job.” He pulled his arm away as he motioned towards the entrance to the Inn. “He must already have smelled you.” 

Cloud glared at Genesis. “I don’t smell!”

“The fuck you don’t...” Genesis argued, grinning as he waved. Cloud’s heart clenched as he saw Zack standing in the doorway. The other was dressed in his SOLDIER gear, staring at them in worry. He had his normal color back from the last time he had seen him. He looked better. What would happen if Cloud made him sick again? What did it matter when he finally couldn’t hide from him anymore? His feet carried him over without thinking, eyes dilated as he smiled at Zack, the other grinning at him as he got close. 

“Spike,” Zack greeted, looking like a nervous ball of energy as he shifted from foot to foot. “What are you doing going on missions with Genesis?” he asked him playfully. 

Cloud shrugged. “He’s not so bad...Kind of getting used to his poetry.” He wanted to say so much. He wanted to tell him how sorry he was. He wanted to confess about what he had done with Sephiroth. He wanted to kiss those grinning lips. “What are you doing here?” 

Zack glanced around at the small fishing village. “They don’t want any part of the Wutai War. They help us if we keep them out of it. It’s close to Wutai, and they’re generous with their food.”

“But you hate fish,” Cloud teased, grinning stupidly like he couldn’t help himself as his fingers itched to reach out and touch the SOLDIER. What was he doing? They hadn’t talked about any of this. They hadn’t discussed boundaries…or how they felt. 

The dark haired SOLDIER shrugged, reaching out to take the bag of weapons from Cloud, hefting it over his shoulder. “Better than MREs. Are you okay?” 

He didn’t know if he were referring towards his condition, or what had happened back with Genesis, but he supposed they had the same answer. “Not really,” he admitted his weakness. “I need to talk to you.”

“Aren’t we talking?” Zack questioned, raising his eyebrow, that same nervous shifting still happening. 

“In private,” Cloud managed, seeing Zack’s smile falter.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Spike,” the SOLDIER managed, and Cloud narrowed his eyes. 

“Why are you avoiding me!?” he bit out before he could help himself. 

“Why?” Zack asked sarcastically, as if Cloud were a bit dim. “Are you kidding?” 

Rejection flooded through him as he felt his eyes water slightly, hating the emotion as he turned it to anger instead. “You’re better.” 

“For now,” Zack supplied. 

“So what?” Cloud questioned. “We’re not friends anymore? I lost my best friend just because of my...condition.” he supplied, not knowing what else to refer to it as. 

Zack gave a wry laugh. “That what we’re calling what we are now? A condition?” 

Blue eyes narrowed at his friend. “I can call you what you are if you want.” He remembered back in the hotel room. He remembered how he had reacted. He remembered how Sephiroth had reacted too. 

Cloud watched Zack swallow hard at that, his eyes becoming slightly feral as he stepped closer, over a head taller than him as he looked down. “Don’t you dare. It’s not a joke.” 

“I’m not laughing,” the blond agreed. “I just want to talk with you. I’m confused, and I want to talk.” 

“Is that what you want to do?” Zack questioned, reaching out with his free hand to tilt up Cloud’s chin. “Talk?” 

He shook his head in denial, locked in those violet eyes. “But you want to...I know you do.” 

Zack’s gloved fingers trailed down his jawline, eyelids heavy as he turned his face gently to the side to reveal his beating pulse. “I want to,” he admitted. “Of course I do. I have since I met you. That’s not the problem.” 

Heat came to his face at the confession, eyebrows knitting with need. “You know I did too, right? I mean...I don’t think I could have been more obvious about it.” He turned his head back towards Zack, seeing how brightly his eyes were glowing. 

Cloud reached out, cupping Zack’s face and tracing over the scar on his cheek. “Stop being so stubborn,” he leaned up, feeling Zack’s breath on his lips. He was going off pure instinct as need coursed through him. “One of you has to do it...I need…” To be bred, fucked, claimed, knotted...he needed so bad. He knew his mistake as that violet spread across Zack’s schlereras and a deep growl filled his chest. 

“One of us?” the SOLDIER managed, and Cloud paled at his mistake as he pulled back away from Zack as if burned. Betrayal and hurt etched its way across Zack’s features, and Cloud shook his head to try to stop the spread of pain. 

“I didn’t mean anything by it!” he tried, stepping further back. “I just want this feeling to go away. I’m not myself, and I just want so badly…”

“One of us?” Zack repeated, dropping the bag of weapons as he lunged forward and grabbed Cloud’s hips, yanking him close. “Genesis?” 

“What?” Cloud questioned, actually confused at the question, hands reaching down to cover Zack’s hands on his waist. 

“I have the noodles Blondie,” Genesis managed, walking up with several containers, and freezing as he saw the situation. “How did you manage to piss him off this fast?” 

Genesis shot back as Zack lunged at him, pulling out his sword as swung at the SOLDIER’s face. The soup went clattering to the floor as Genesis pulled out his own blade to block, using his second hand to brace the weapon as he held it against the other’s assault. 

“What the hell?” Genesis questioned, gritting his teeth as he shoved him backwards. “Warn a guy before you go psycho on them.” 

“You touched him!” Zack hissed at him, that deep growl echoing through the air, and Cloud felt wetness soak the back of his pants as a keening whine left him. That growl was full of possession and anger. It was commanding. 

Genesis shot him a look, covering up his nose as amber began to spread across his eyes, his teeth growing. “Fucking hell,” he managed, blocking a barrage of attacks from Zack as they skidded across the village. 

“Stop,” Cloud managed, taking a deep breath to try to control himself. “Stop!” he managed as Zack swung towards the other’s head. Genesis was Zack’s friend. This was his fault. This was always his fault. 

“I didn’t touch your boy toy!” Genesis managed, panting as he defended himself. “I can’t think with that smell. It’s foggy...just...make it stop.” 

“Zack!” Cloud managed, screaming in worry as a sword came down, slashing across Genesis’ shoulder. He didn’t want to call him in need. Zack didn’t want him to. 

Violet eyes slowly turned to him then, seeming to get control of himself as he looked over to Genesis who had turned away. “I’m sorry,” he managed, seeming in pain as he took a deep breath. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Cloud promised him, walking over to him, oblivious to the villagers wary around them at the fighting. “There’s nothing wrong.” He was doing this to him again. He didn’t hesitate as he finally got to him, pulling Zack’s mouth down to his as he had wanted to do since the first moment he had seen him. 

Zack reacted instantly, reaching down and grabbing Cloud’s legs, hoisting him up on his hips as he kissed him roughly. Cloud moaned at the taste as a tongue pushed into his mouth, the other stumbling across the road with him on hips as he struggled to get back to the Inn. 

Cloud’s fingers were fisted in dark spikes as the other carried him up the stairs, banging open the door to one of the rooms as they couldn’t get enough. He grunted as he was thrown on the bed, wincing at how hard the mattress was as he attempted to scoot back on his elbows, laughing as Zack all but pounced on top of him before capturing his lips again. 

They broke apart as Zack sat up, struggling to get the holster off his back before shedding himself of his tank top. “Take off your pants,” he managed, working on his own belt as his fingers were shaky as he worked on the buckle. 

Cloud could only stare at the perfect toned body revealed to him, feeling that need deep in his belly as he was transfixed with Zack ripping down his pants. “Zack…” he managed, voice breathy as dark hair led down to a hard cock, the other throwing his pants across the room. 

“Your clothes are still on,” Zack managed in frustration, chest panting as his hand came up to his hair to clench at it in frustration. “What am I doing? I shouldn’t be…” Cloud sat up before he could continue, leaning down and taking that hard cock into his mouth without hesitation. 

He swallowed around the hard organ, trying not to choke as he didn’t really know what he was doing. He just didn’t want Zack to leave again. He just wanted him so bad. He sucked around the head of Zack’s cock, looking up into blown out violet eyes as the other watched him in want, hand coming encouragingly to his spikes as he began to control the speed, thrusting in and out of his mouth as if he couldn’t help himself. 

Cloud gagged a little, trying to accommodate as he kept his eyes locked with Zack’s, drawing him back into himself as he whined around him. He was allowed to pull back as he began to work on the buttons of his uniform. “I didn’t touch Genesis. I just want to touch you.” 

Zack grinned at him, reaching out to help with the uniform jacket, fingers opening the buttons as he growled in frustration. “Why are there so many?” he questioned, before he tackled him back and kissed him again. 

He wrapped his arms around that neck, drinking him in as Zack ripped open his uniform, working on his pants next and sliding them down his hips. Cloud moaned as the other paused then, studying him as he lay back and tore open his uniform jacket. The blond let his legs fall open slowly, trying not to blush as his own cock was hard against his stomach, the area between his legs soaked with whatever it was that made alpha’s lose their minds. 

“Do you want to claim me?” he asked, because it wouldn’t just be sex. They both knew that. They both knew that what was happening to Zack wasn’t just because he was an alpha. It wasn’t just because Cloud was going through a cycle. It was because they wanted each other. They belonged to each other. 

Zack nodded, pupils blown as his eyes raked down his body. “Can I?” he questioned, and Cloud thought he was referring to claiming him...and that’s all his body wanted. A fever was starting to break across his skin as want consumed him. 

He didn’t fill him though. Instead, he leaned down and licked at the wetness between his legs. Cloud keened as a tongue slipped into his wet heat. “Zack!” he managed, bucking up as a tongue pressed inside of him. He heard a wet slurping sound as Zack ate him out, a hand coming to his dick as he pumped him, and he saw white as pleasure coursed through him as his body became lost in a haze. 

He came when Zack slipped two fingers in along with that tongue, opening to the girth as his entrance tightened around them. Cum covered his stomach as his body flushed. He wanted more. It wasn’t enough. He grabbed for the other in a whine, ripping at the other to pull him up as Zack came without complaint, kissing him as their tastes mixed within their mouths. 

Zack pulled back to look down at him, more in control now than he had been while fighting Genesis. “If we do this…” 

“We’re doing this,” Cloud argued, causing Zack to smile down at him, kissing him softly as he pet across those spikes. 

“If we do...and I...I’m not sure what will happen,” he managed. “I could hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me,” Cloud managed, edge in his voice as he grabbed for the other. “Please...I’ll beg...I’ll beg if you want me to.” He sat up enough to hoist up his hips, aligning himself so he was on Zack’s lap, hand pressing behind him to hold himself up. "Just make it stop."

“Make what stop?” Zack managed, eyes glued between their legs as Cloud rubbed up against his cock. 

“The wanting,” Cloud whimpered. “I am an Omega...and I could be yours. Only yours.” 

“Omega?” Zack questioned, lifting Cloud up slightly as he rearranged them. “They’re just legends...They’re not real.” 

Cloud reacted then, tightening his legs as he pressed his heels hard into Zack’s back, pressing him forward as Zack’s cock pushed deep inside of him, holding him like a vice to keep him inside as he moaned wantonly and fell backwards, taking Zack with him as he pressed even deeper into his warm wet heat. 

“Do I not feel real to you?” he managed, arms wrapping around him as Zack panted into his neck. “Fuck me…” He spoke dirtily, commanding his alpha as his heels pressed hard into his back. Zack was trembling as he was buried in his neck, obviously trying to gain control of himself as he buried in his wet heat. “Zack…” he whined, rocking up against him, groaning as a vice grip on his hips stopped his movement. 

Zack’s chest began to vibrate, causing the blond to tighten around him as the SOLDIER pulled back enough to stare into his eyes. “I adore you...I don’t want this to be out of instinct. I didn’t want this to be because you’re hurting.” 

Cloud didn’t know how his alpha was possessing such strength to coherantly talk to him while buried in his sex, but he did his best to focus and stop shifting his hips to get him to move. His chest began to rise and fall convulsively, fingers reaching up to slide along that muscled back. “It won’t be…” he assured him. “I want you so bad. You make being here bearable.” His hands carded through his hair, stopping to cup Zack’s face as he stared reverently up at him. “How do you have this kind of control?” 

Zack shook his head in denial. “I don’t have any...not when it comes to you.” He leaned down, capturing his lips softly, and Cloud sighed as the feeling of love...want...need...safety...comfort washed between them. 

He whined into that mouth as he was lifted up, Zack kneeling back as he brought him up onto his lap. He sunk deep onto that cock as hands on his hips slowly began to rise him up and down. Adoration and need exploded through him as he wrapped his legs around strong hips, gasping and throwing his head back as Zack broke away from the kiss as they moved together on the bed. 

The violet coloring spread across Zack’s eyes as they watched each other, and Cloud had never felt so connected as those teeth began to grow. The SOLDIER’s hand came to his neck, turning it to the side as he exposed his beating pulse, and Cloud knew what he wanted. Knew out of instinct what it would mean, and he wanted it, but at the same time…

Cloud pressed against Zack’s chest before the other could lean down. “Don’t...Zack…” He didn’t know why he stopped him, but the look of rejection in Zack’s eyes sent pain down his spine. “Not yet,” he breathed, pulling him to his mouth. “Not yet…” They didn’t know what this would all mean. They were going off of pure instinct right now, and they didn’t know what would happen if they took this step. If there was another reason...well he just couldn’t think about him right now. 

Zack nodded slowly, body taut as if he were in pain as he shut his eyes. The next thing he knew he was being tackled backwards as the SOLDIER kissed him hard as he began to speed up his thrusts. 

The bed rocked as a wet slapping sound filled the room as that cock pumped in and out of him, lighting his entire body up with pleasure. His nails dug into Zack’s back, trying to pull him closer as he keened into his alpha’s ear. “More…” he managed, begging as it wasn’t enough. This wasn’t going to stop the wanting. It wasn’t going to make it so that he wasn’t needing this all the time. 

“Fuck…” Zack managed, voice heavy with pain and need as he sped up his thrusts. “Spike...Spike…look at me…” Blue eyes managed to meet violet as Zack looked terrified. He look ashamed. “I’m sorry,” he managed. “I’m sorry but I can’t…” He begged forgiveness just as something swelled up inside of him, spreading his insides and causing him to scream in both pain and pleasure as it pressed into him, locking them together as warmth began to flood his insides as he came hard enough around it to white out as his entrance began to convulse. He milked that knot inside of him as his legs fell open and he cried out again as sharp teeth sunk into his shoulder. 

He didn’t know how long they stayed there like that. Zack’s hips were rocking slowly, and Cloud felt his stomach slightly swell as cum pumped into him, and he would consider what that meant later when this wasn’t so perfect. Lips kissed along the wound on his shoulder apologetically as the gland in his neck throbbed with want, still unmarked. The need ebbed for the first time in weeks since he had gotten that stomach ache. He felt claimed...wanted...connected to Zack like he had never been connected to anyone in his life. 

Zack finally stilled on top of him as his own body stopped contracting around his cock. Cloud whined as he pulled out of him, hating no longer being filled with his alpha, but relaxing as Zack began to kiss along his cheek, ending up at his ear. “I’m so sorry.” 

Cloud felt drugged as he shifted his legs, not wanting any of the essence to escape him as he managed to come back to himself enough to look over into shame filled eyes. He knitted his eyebrows in worry as Zack looked sick with himself. “Why?” How could he apologize when he had given him everything he had asked for? How could he apologize when he had finally gotten the pain to stop? 

Lips pressed to his sweaty blond spikes, and arms tightened around him as their exhausted limbs entwined. Cloud felt drugged, smiling at the affection as they held each other close. “What I did...I’m not human. It’s not normal.” 

His head turned to face Zack, smiling stupidly at him. “So let’s not be normal?” he suggested. “Don’t apologize when you just gave me the best sex of my life…” he corrected himself then. “Only sex really...if you don’t include handjobs in the showers.” And what had happened between him and Sephiroth of course. 

Zack chuckled into his ear, kissing along his jawline almost reverently as Cloud shifted closer. “I can’t stay away from you anymore. I tried so hard to protect you, but I want you.” 

Cloud pulled him into a slow sloppy kiss. “I want you too...if you hadn’t noticed.” he smiled sleepily at him, kissing him again. “Don’t do it again. I didn’t want to go through this alone, and you left.” 

“I was trying to…” Cloud interrupted before he could finish.

“You weren’t protecting me by abandoning me,” he admonished. “I have no idea what’s happening to me. What’s happening to my body...my senses. You could have made the pain stop weeks ago.” 

Guilt filled those violet eyes, and Zack leaned down to kiss his shoulder apologetically. “I’m so sorry, Spike.” 

“I think somebody did this to me, Zack,” Cloud whispered, telling secrets between them in the uncomfortable bed. “Genesis and I found all these experiments. He told me Professor Hojo had sent him to watch over me.” 

A low growl filled the air as anger came over Zack’s normally jovial features. “Hojo?” he asked with such distaste that Cloud knew the scientist had done something to him before. 

Cloud nodded slowly. “I think he’s the reason I was in the hospital. I think I’m an experiment, but I can’t remember.” He shook his head in fear. “Sephiroth took a bunch of samples. He’s helping me figure out what I am.” 

“Sephiroth?” Zack questioned, brows knitting in question, before relaxing. “Good...he’s a genius. He can help us figure this out.” 

Guilt swam in his stomach at the level of trust Zack had for the General, and he knew then that he could never tell him what had happened between them. It hadn’t meant anything, how could it? Sephiroth was just weakened by his condition. Just like Zack had been, but there wasn’t the same haze. There was just comfort...love...he felt safe. Sephiroth wouldn’t want him when he saw him again. It would be okay to keep this hidden. 

“Just don’t leave again,” Cloud commanded, rolling over to lay on Zack’s shoulder as strong arms wrapped around his lithe frame. “I want to be with you. Of course I want to be with you, but you were my friend too. I got used to you showing up after classes and making me laugh. I got used to your hugs when I would feel like giving up. I never had anyone before, and I was never good at talking. But you got to me to talk. You got me to believe in myself, and then you didn’t believe that I wouldn’t judge you.” 

Zack kissed his shoulder again, and Cloud could feel the pain that was exuding through him. He didn’t want to make him hurt. He just didn’t want for him to leave again. He tilted his chin up to meet that mouth, giving him his forgiveness, before laying back on that inviting chest. 

“We’ll figure it out, Spike,” Zack murmured finally. “Together. I won’t let anyone hurt you again...especially not me. Sephiroth will have the answers. We’ll figure out, and then we’ll be a normal couple who doesn’t have to worry about ruts or heats, or ancient creatures that the Shinra somehow made us into.” Zack yanked the blanket up over them. “Cloud, you believe me, right?” 

Cloud hummed in agreement, exhaustion surrounding his senses as he kissed just above his heart to give his approval. “I believe you,” Cloud managed, and as he slipped to sleep feeling more content than he had ever before in his life he tried not to think about how Sephiroth could tell Zack. He could take this all away. 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.


	7. SpeakEasy

Chapter 7: Speakeasy 

Cloud moaned, breath hitching as he pressed his palm into Zack’s chest, raising himself up and down. His body surrounded that girth as he struggled to maintain the slow pace. He was sore and aching, and yet still not sated as he brought them around for round number five of the morning. He leaned down to claim Zack’s lips, gasping as his hips were grabbed and he was flipped around. 

They never broke their kiss as Zack pressed his thighs wide, pushing in deeper, and swallowing Cloud’s cry as he began to slam over and over again into his prostate. It wasn’t enough. Nothing was since that first night since Zack had taken him...had bred him. 

“Zack…” he begged, nails digging into firm buttocks, pulling him in deeper. “Please…” 

He gasped as teeth bit at his shoulder, and there was an unwritten rule between them that that bite could go no higher. “We have to be careful,” Zack cajoled him for what felt like the 50th time. “We don’t know enough about this yet Spike.” He tilted his chin up, making lust filled blue eyes meet his. “We don’t know.” 

“I don’t care,” Cloud assured him, knowing what he was implying. He had seen the books in the Wutai laboratory. “Please.” 

A look of pain came over Zack’s features, and before he could stop him, the SOLDIER had pulled out, grabbing for discarded boxers and yanking them over his red and swollen cock. Cloud practically whined as the other pulled away, rubbing his legs together for the stimulation, before coming to his senses and sitting up in bed. 

“Zack…” he whispered in apology, pulling the sheet over him as he was still painfully hard. “Come back, just…” The door of the bathroom slamming and the shower turning on told him all he needed to know as he fell back on the bed. ...He hoped it was a cold one. 

Zack didn’t come out of the bathroom for over and hour, and in that time Cloud had wandered down to get them breakfast. He displayed it like a peace offering when the SOLDIER finally came out. He had gotten scrambled eggs, bacon, bagel, and fresh coffee. Better than he ever ate at Midgar. “Hungry?” he questioned sheepishly, watching the way Zack eyed the food as he dried off his wet spikes. Guilt ran through him as that normally jovial smile was set in a hard line. “You’re angry with me.” 

Violet eyes flickered over to him, hard and unreadable. “I’m frustrated.” 

Cloud gave a small laugh, motioning to the messed up bed where they hadn’t finished. “Yeah...me too.” 

“I’m frustrated at you!” Zack snapped, looking like he instantly regretted it as he cursed and looked down. 

“What?” he asked back, anxiety spiking as he shifted. 

“I don’t like being this way,” Zack finally managed. “I’m in love with you Cloud, I always have been.” he said it like it wasn’t a world shattering statement. He said it like Cloud wasn’t just in love with him. “We’ve been going nonstop for three weeks. I go out to battle, and come home and fuck you until the sun comes up, but that’s all it is to you!” he looked frustrated as he ran his hand through his hair. “It’s instinct, and I know that. I know you need an Alpha, but you don’t want me, do you?” 

“Of course I want you,” Cloud murmured, confused as he shook his head. “I don’t understand why you suddenly think sex is a bad thing!” his own anger was boiling to the surface. “Because of what your body does? If you haven’t noticed getting wet and milking your cock aren’t exactly normal, but I don’t see you complaining when I…” Cloud was cut off as Zack surged forward, shoving him against the wall almost painfully as he grabbed blond spikes, twisting them to the side. 

Cloud’s heart pounded in fear as he felt sick with adrenaline as he realized what Zack wanted, screaming just as those teeth closed in on the small gland on his throat, clawing at that perfect face as his nails dug in and he slashed across it. 

Blood splattered across the floor as Cloud shoved him away, fear spiking his reason as he panted. “What are you doing?” 

The dark haired SOLDIER put a hand to his bleeding face, but he didn’t look angry anymore, he looked sad. “You wanted fucked. You didn’t want me.” Zack turned wounded violet eyes up to him. “We need to figure out what’s going on with you, Spike.” he sounded so dejected. He sounded broken. Guilt surged through Cloud as he tried to understand why he had stopped Zack. Why had the idea repulsed him so thoroughly? Why did it feel so wrong?

“I love you,” he managed. “Zack, it’s not just sex.” he tentatively walked closer. “It’s not.” Cloud cautiously stepped into the other’s space, getting on his tiptoes as he wrapped his arms around his neck. “I don’t know why. I can’t tell you why, because I don’t know. It’s not just sex though. It never was.” he met those guarded eyes. “Genesis is an Alpha,” he tried. “I’ve never thought of him like that. It’s not just being an Alpha.” 

Zack searched his face for answers, fingers carding through his blond spikes. “Then who? I can’t stop thinking about it. There’s someone else.” 

“There’s no one else,” Cloud said instantly, lying through his teeth, and using Zack’s earlier logic against him. “We don’t know what happens when you bite. We just need to find out.” Zack gave a shuddering sigh, before relaxing against him and pulling him close into an embrace. 

“I’m sorry, Spike,” he managed, face buried in his neck, inhaling his scent. “I’ve been so happy these past few weeks with you here. We have to go back tomorrow, and I’m so scared to have you around other people.” He smiled against his neck. “Which I know is instinct. Some weird animalistic gene that got spliced into my DNA.” he joked, pulling back as Cloud rolled his eyes. 

“You think too little of yourself, Zack,” he managed, pulling back and tugging the SOLDIER with him. “Eat breakfast with me, and we’ll enjoy one more morning being able to share a room before we’re back on the road, and I’m back in the barracks with Reno.” 

“Who’s Reno?” Zack questioned, sitting down at the table. “Is he the annoying redhead that calls you 20 times a day to tell you who he’s planning to bang that day?” he mocked.

Cloud snorted, digging into the bacon as he smiled around his bite. “He likes to discuss his options.” 

Zack rolled his eyes, face lit up in amusement as he bit into his toast. “Oh yeah? More like he’s a bit too codependent to be away from you for three weeks.” 

He took a drink of coffee, snorting at the assumption. “He just doesn’t have anyone to go drinking with when I’m not there,” he mused. He eyed the scratch marks across that perfect face, taking another sip of coffee as his eyes turned sorrowful. “I’m sorry I scratched you,” he managed finally.

Zack glanced up from hooded eyes, a friendly grin still on his face as he stuffed it. “I’m sorry I made you.” 

Cloud’s heart swelled, trying to forget their earlier fight, and why he had stopped Zack when he pressed him up against the wall. He thought about what they were going home to. He missed Reno, and training. Hell, he even missed guard duty. But being back in Midgar was dangerous, because Sephiroth was there. If Zack found out what they had done, what would happen? Would he leave him? Would he cast him away?

“Who are they going to get to replace you out here?” he questioned, wondering if he could be lucky enough to have it be the General. 

Zack hummed in his throat, before shrugging. “Who knows? Angeal maybe. He’s normally out on these far away missions.” 

“Angeal?” Cloud questioned, shoveling a bite of eggs. 

The other laughed at that. “I keep forgetting you haven’t met him.” He rolled his shoulders. “He basically trained me. Taught me everything I knew after...you know...what they did to us.” He shrugged it off. “He would have loved you...you could have been the new puppy.” 

“Puppy?” Cloud asked with a grin. 

Zack’s nose tinted pink at the name, laughing as he waved it off. “Don’t start!” 

More than a little amused, Cloud got up out of his chair, heading over to Zack as he pushed into his lap. He straddled his waist, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck as he leaned down to nuzzle their noses playfully. “My good puppy.” 

“Oh your puppy?” Zack joked right back, hands coming to his ass and squeezing as he dragged him close. “Think you have the two of us reversed.” 

“Why?” Cloud questioned, biting his lip as Zack began to move his hips. “You gonna make me bark?” Zack pulled him down to his mouth, kissing him roughly as he lifted up out of the chair. His heels dug into Zack’s back, laughing as they both fell back on the bed, before his lips were claimed again. He supposed there was a bit more time before they get on the road.   
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cloud couldn’t break away as they were finally back to the barricade bunks. Zack had come to walk him to his room, and when they had found it empty they had decided to consummate his bed...twice. Then the shower...just for good measure. 

Zack buried his face in his neck, inhaling as he held him close. “I don’t like this.” 

The blond arched a brow at that, running his hands up the muscled chest. “Oh yeah? Didn’t really hear you complaining just a bit ago when you came all over my…” Cloud paused, as if realizing something. “Were you marking me?” 

Guilt covered Zack’s face, and Cloud instantly regretted the question. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to leave you alone. It’s weird...It’s creepy and weird and I know that.” 

Cloud leaned up to press his lips against his cheek. “I don’t mind. I can smell like you,” he leaned into his ear. “I want to smell like you.” 

“You can come to my apartment?” Zack suggested, trailing his hands up his back. “My bed is bigger than your bunk.” 

“I know…” Cloud assured him teasingly. “I’ve slept in it before.” 

Zack tilted his head abashedly. “Right, how could I forget when I was out of my mind?” 

“I’ll forgive you just this once,” he promised him. 

“My Omega is so benevolent.” Cloud’s eyes clouded at hearing the term, pupil’s dilating as his knees became shaky. 

“I don’t want you to leave either,” he managed, hands trailing up that powerful chest, wanting to stay in bed forever with this man he loved. “But I have training in the morning, and I don’t want to get you in trouble.” 

Zack seemed a little out of it, so Cloud dragged his face down to focus on him. “Sorry,” Zack apologized, kissing the top of his head before pulling away. “You just...your smell...when you get aroused.”

Cloud blushed at that, shaking his head as he rolled his eyes. “You’re not used to it by now?” 

“Spike,” Zack started with all seriousness. “I don’t think I’ll ever be used to it.” 

“Guess that gives you motivation to stick around,” he teased, fighting the urge to press back up against the SOLDIER. 

“Was that a worry of yours?” Zack laughed. “Are you not aware I’m basically obsessed with you?” 

“Now you do have to leave!” Cloud joked, opening the door and pushing on him. 

Zack laughed, not budging. “Wait, why?” 

“You’re embarrassing me!” he managed, a bit too loudly as Zack laughed harder. 

“Do you not remember how we just spent the last three weeks?” 

“Are you not aware when you should stop talking?” Cloud questioned back, beet red by this point as he pushed harder. “Zaacckkk…” If there was a whine in his voice, well he wasn’t going to bring it up. 

“Cccllouuudddd…” He mocked right back, sweeping down and stealing a quick kiss. “I’ll come find you after training tomorrow.” 

When Zack finally turned and left it felt like he had been gutted. Of course, he wasn’t crazy. He knew it had to do with whatever instincts he had. They were the same ones that urged him to be touching the Alpha every moment they were near each other. It wasn’t even as if they hadn’t been away from each other. Of course they had gone out to Wutai for separate missions, but he had always fallen asleep wrapped in the Alpha’s arms. His Alpha. 

Cloud sank down onto the bed, laying back on the hard springy mattress as he turned and clung at the pillow, smiling despite the longing clawing at his belly. This was ridiculous. He couldn’t be this happy and needy all at once. They needed to find out what was happening. That meant answers. That meant Sephiroth, and the tests he took. That meant they had to be in the same room again. 

The door opened, and Cloud stretched his neck up to see who it was. He immediately sat up as he saw the wannabe Turk walk through. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see you.” 

“My presence affects people that way,” Reno spoke knowingly, but he was also grinning. “Dude, how did you manage it all that time in that hick village?” 

Cloud thought about his nights with Zack, and shrugged nonchalantly. “It wasn’t so bad.” 

“Oh yeah?” Reno mocked. “No need to tell me why. You have SOLDIER sex slave written all over you.” 

“Nothing happened,” Cloud denied, not sure if they were telling anyone. Not sure if Zack would get in trouble since he was a superior officer. However, he knew Reno would never care about something like that. 

“Bullshit,” The redhead laughed. “But keep your secrets...as long as you’ll go out with me tonight?” 

“Reno I have class first thing in the morning,” Cloud tried, not knowing how far that was going to fly with his bunkmate. 

“So do I!” He argued. “You’ve been gone for three weeks shacking up with some SOLDIER adonis, and you owe me.” 

“Fine,” Cloud relented.

“I’ve been so lonely!” 

“I said fine!” Cloud exclaimed louder, laughing at the relief on Reno’s face. 

“Knew you’d come to your senses.” He reached out, grabbing Cloud’s arm and yanking him up. “There’s a new martini bar in District 5.” 

Cloud knitted his eyebrows. “There is?” He hadn’t been gone that long. “We’ve been all over that district. Where at?” 

“Someone’s basement,” Reno said excitedly, leaning down to dig through his trunk as he threw a plain black t-shirt at Cloud’s face. “Put that on.” 

Cloud caught the shirt flying towards him, shrugging out of his fatigues and into it as he stared questionably at his friend. “You want to go all the way to the Slums to drink in someone’s basement?” he asked skeptically. 

“You make it sound so skivvy!” Reno argued. 

“That’s because we’re going to drink martinis in some Slum basement.” 

“A Speakeasy!” Reno argued. “Like from back in the days when they didn’t allow drinking in Midgar at all. The President was trying to clean up below the plate before they realized that was a lost cause.” 

“Calling it something cool doesn’t make it any less skivvy,” Cloud argued under his breath, pulling on jeans and boots. “But fine...we’ll go to your creepy basement.” 

“Speakeasy!” Reno argued again, pulling him out of the room, and Cloud had no doubt in his mind he was going to regret it. 

Reno shoved another shot of whiskey across the table as he sunk down next to him, and Cloud reached out to grab it with bleary eyes. He smacked his mouth, trying to focus on the four different glasses, before he shot it back. 

The alcohol burned down his throat as the room spun. He fought through the spins, however, and turned the shot over and set it on the table. “I get next round,” he slurred, blinking heavily as he considered how he was going to get himself up to the bar. 

“Not yet,” Reno stopped him, equally as drunk. “You haven’t told me what’s been going on with you. First you’re in the hospital, and then on a mission to Wutai?” He leaned in. “Zack didn’t hurt you, did he?” he slurred. “Cause you know I’d,” he hiccuped. “I’d kill him.” 

Cloud looked around at the drapery walls as the music blared. “Don’t be an idiot,” he managed. “He would never hurt me. I love him...I think.” 

“You think?” Reno questioned, hiccuping again and covering his mouth like he wanted to puke. 

“Zack is everything I’ve ever wanted,” Cloud assured Reno, seeing the redhead’s nose curl. “But he’s not..” he trailed off, mouth dropping open slightly as he stared beyond Reno’s head. 

“What?” Reno questioned, spinning around as Cloud pointed.

“Sephiroth,” he said slowly, chill going down his spine. “Who’s that he’s with?” He was with some teenager with slicked back blond hair and a white suit jacket. 

Reno followed his line of sight, laughing as he realized who he was seeing. “Dude, that’s Rufus Shinra! Do you not know anything?” 

“He just seems so scrawny,” Cloud said, not able to take his eyes off Sephiroth who was dressed in a black leather jacket and leather pants. His eyes had found his the moment he had come through the door, and the spittle dried up in his mouth as he saw the way the General of Shinra practically sniffed the air. 

“I think he’s sexy,” Reno leaned over. “And rich,” he said dreamily, laying his head on Cloud’s shoulder. “We could only get so lucky.” 

“He’s all yours, Tiger,” Cloud assured him, trapped in Sephiroth’s gaze as the General glided over to their table. 

“Cloud,” that voice purred, and the blond’s stomach clenched as he tilted back his chin to look up as Rufus headed to the bar. “You’re home.” 

Cloud nodded dumbly, feeling like he was underwater as that feeling that Zack had managed to quell for the last couple weeks flared back up, making him drown under it. 

“I see you scratched the itch,” Sephiroth sounded disappointed. He sounded almost angry as he reached out, grabbing his chin and tilting his neck back and forth to check his neck. “But only scratched.” 

“I’m good at scratching,” Cloud said dumbly, wishing beyond anything that he hadn’t have taken so many shots before meeting Sephiroth again. 

Sephiroth’s mouth tilted slightly in a smirk. “I bet your skills are unquestionable, Cloud.” Sephiroth’s cat like eyes flickered over to Reno. “Go buy the President’s brat a drink,” He pulled out some gil, tossing it to the other cadet. “Now.” 

Cloud watched Reno go, only realizing he had been staring at the way the redhead all but hit on the President’s son when his chin was dragged back. “Seph...why are you in a skivvy basement?” 

A finely sculpted brow was raised at the question. “Babysitting,” he said simply. “Why are you in a skivvy basement?” 

Cloud gave a bleary smile. “Friendsitting,” he joked, noticing how Sephiroth wasn’t letting go of his chin. “Did you miss me?” If he had been less drunk he would have realized the absurd horror behind asking such a statement. 

“Immensely,” Sephiroth countered with, and Cloud blinked, thinking he had misheard. “You seemed to have gotten along just fine, however, I can smell him all over you.” 

Cloud stared dumbly, cheeks heating as he was called out so easily. “I’m drunk,” he managed. 

“I know,” Sephiroth assured him. “I can smell that on you too.” He almost sounded amused, but he was sure he got that part wrong. 

“Are you mad at me?” Cloud questioned, not understanding where the rationale for the question had come from. 

“Why didn’t you let him bite you?” Sephiroth questioned, eyes searching. 

“Am I supposed to say I was waiting for you?” Cloud asked, eyes glazing as Sephiroth stepped closer. 

“Were you?” The SOLDIER asked, voice stoic and unreadable. 

“Did you find out anything from the tests?” Cloud asked instead, causing Sephiroth to frown.

“Avoiding the question?” he asked with impatience.

“I’m good at avoiding.” Cloud replied.

“So I’ve noticed,” Sephiroth eyed the stack of overturned glasses. “I’m teaching your class in the morning. I see you won’t be at your full potential.” 

“I’ll do just fine,” Cloud said stubbornly, feeling like an idiot for not knowing Sephiroth was teaching in the morning. What if he was hungover? What if he made a fool of himself? What if he failed his chances of becoming a SOLDIER?

“Did Genesis tell you what we found?” he questioned, feeling lightheaded as he laid his head down on the table, head tilted up to look at Sephiroth. 

“He told me,” the General answered slowly, and Cloud actually whined in pleasure as long lithe fingers began to comb through his hair. “You’re sensitive.”

“You’re good at it,” Cloud praised, cock twitching in his jeans despite the fact that he was a minute or two away from passing out. 

The petting stopped, and Cloud whined again in disapproval, not fighting as an arm pushed itself underneath his legs, and the other hefted up his hip as he was pulled up from the bench and into Sephiroth’s arms. Cloud didn’t fight as he was held bridal style, snuggling his face into the other’s neck, and practically going slack as he inhaled the comfort of his scent. 

“Where are we going?” he managed, his mouth moving along Sephiroth’s neck as he spoke. 

“Back up the plate,” Sephiroth responded after a moment, and Cloud felt a mouth press to the top of his head as sleep began to tug at him. 

“What about our kids?” Cloud questioned, half asleep. 

“Sure they can take care of themselves,” 

Cloud hummed, nodding sleepily. “If you’re sure.” 

“I’m sure.” Was the last thing he heard before he slipped off to sleep snuggled into Sephiroth's chest.   
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.


	8. The Nibelheim Project

Chapter 8: The Nibelheim Project

Cloud woke up to comfort. He snuggled further in the warmth as he was encapsulated in a soft down comforter. It smelled like the way he thought home would smell. He burrowed further towards that scent. His eyes slowly fluttered open, sighing as he snuggled closer into the pillow. He wasn’t in his bed. It didn’t feel like a hotel bed either. He rolled over, looking around at the room. The comforter was black, the room nondescript besides the dark furniture and tidy desk in the corner. 

He knit his eyebrows as he pushed out of the warmth, feet hitting the floor as he stretched. He looked down to see he was in a t-shirt and boxers as he scratched at his blond spikes. Where had he been last night? Out with Reno...but what had happened? His mind flashed to being scooped into strong arms...cradled against a strong chest. 

“Sephiroth…” he remembered finally, padding down the hall, blue eyes wide as he saw the General standing in his immaculate kitchen. 

Cat like eyes glanced up at him when he spoke, and he squirmed at seeing the appraising look he gave his bare legs. “Cloud,” Sephiroth greeted back. “I hope you’re hungry.” 

Cloud opened his mouth to respond to such a statement, before closing it again as he realized that Sephiroth was currently stirring mixture in a bowl. “Are you making pancakes?” 

“Yes?” Sephiroth asked, brow arched at the questioning tone. “Is that against the rules?” 

“I…” Cloud started, shutting his mouth again as he tried to think of how to word this. “It’s just...I never really imagined you as the pancake making type.” 

“Oh?” the SOLDIER questioned. “And what type am I, little Omega?” 

He dared to step closer, feeling like he was playing with fire as he came over to the island Sephiroth was working. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve never thought of you eating at all. I don’t think I’ve ever thought of you as a person.” Sephiroth’s amused eyes immediately narrowed and turned guarded, chin setting in a hard line, and Cloud knew he had made a mistake. “That’s not what I meant!” he tried, but Sephiroth had already turned away from him and towards the stove. 

How often must that have happened? Sephiroth, who was the glimmering symbol of good and strength in this world had to always maintain an aura of perfection. Of immortality. Heaven forbid he be allowed to eat, sleep, or even piss. “You should get dressed for your training. You can choose whether or not to eat after.” 

Guilt ate at him at the cold tone, and Cloud found his feet moving without really thinking about it as he came into the kitchen and grabbed Sephiroth’s arm. He was more bold than he probably would have been if he had time to think about his own mortality. “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that.” Sephiroth glowered down at him, but he ignored the look of distaste at his boldness, keeping hold of that forearm. “I kept posters of you on my walls,” he tried to explain, smiling at him. “It’s just weird to think that you’re making me breakfast.” 

Sephiroth’s eyes flickered across his face, searching for a lie, before slightly relaxing. “All the things that have been happening to you lately, and me making breakfast is what truly has you unbelieving?” he questioned, sounding actually curious. 

“Well,” Cloud surmised. “I guess this is something I can actually get some answers on. Me being a genetically impossible Alpha cum vessel isn’t really something I can control.” Eerie green eyes widened at the statement, and Cloud actually laughed as an almost pink tinge trailed down the General of Shinra’s nose. “Are you blushing?” 

“Alpha cum vessel?” Sephiroth questioned slowly, and Cloud’s grin widened. 

“Well...kind of…” It was his turn to blush as he realized he was going to have to explain himself. “My body does this thing…” he shakily laughed. “Wow, I should really have never started talking.” 

“Cloud,” he started, voice low and dark. “What does your body do?” 

Cloud’s mouth set in a firm line as he realized just what he had done. “This is a dangerous situation. I need to get to class.” What the hell was he doing here? What was he doing to Zack by playing this game? Had he really just slept in Sephiroth’s bed? Why did it feel so right to be here? Why was he flirting when he knew what the result would be? 

“Do you?” Sephiroth questioned, moving in front of him and blocking his way. 

“Move,” Cloud tried, eyes glued to the ground.

“Or what?” Sephiroth questioned, grabbing his chin as he dragged his eyes up towards him. Sephiroth was in black workout pants and a black sweater. He was probably the most normal he had ever seen him. It felt even more like betrayal. 

“Zack’s your friend,” he tried to stress, trying to get through to him why this was dangerous. 

“I know,” Sephiroth assured him. “Why do you think your neck isn’t bleeding right now?” he asked. “Why do you think I’m not currently buried in what you so eloquently described as an Alpha cum vessel?” 

“They were a poor choice of words,” Cloud conceded. “It doesn’t change the fact that I’m his.” 

Sephiroth let out a low growl, and Cloud’s knees buckled as his eyes glazed slightly. The Alpha took full advantage as he grabbed for the blond, spinning him around and slamming him up against the counter. 

Cloud gasped as his spikes were grabbed, Sephiroth yanking on his neck as he leaned down into his ear. “You are not his.” Sephiroth’s scent surrounded him as his body reacted, leaning back against him as his stomach began to cramp, feeling a wetness slide down his legs. 

“Seph…” he managed, voice half a moan. “Don’t...Please…” he managed, not knowing why he was bothering begging as his hands trailed down those strong hips. 

“But this is what you want, right?” Sephiroth questioned, one hand on Cloud’s hip, while the other pushed down the back of his boxers. “A fantasy,” Cloud cried out as two fingers pressed inside of him, wetness pouring onto the SOLDIER’s palm. 

Cloud reached back, hand wrapping around Sephiroth’s neck as he pulled the other closer as his cock strained inside his wet boxers. “Seph…” he managed again. “You’re not just a...gods you’re not just a fantasy.” 

Sephiroth pushed in a third finger, and Cloud screamed as they spread. He fucked himself back on those long fingers, not understanding why he was letting this happen. Not understanding why it turned him on so much being manhandled by the Alpha. 

“I must admit,” Sephiroth breathed into his ear. “I was curious as to what happens when he’s inside you...why you called yourself that.” 

Another finger slipped inside, and Cloud collapsed forward onto the counter, moaning uncontrollably as slick leaked down his leg. His cock oozed precum. He clenched around those fingers, going to push up, only to grunt as he was shoved back onto the counter, fingers pumping in and out. 

A hand on his head kept his cheek pressed down onto the counter as he cried out as he felt his orgasm approaching. He screamed as a thumb slipped in, and Sephiroth’s hand slid in to the wrist. He came almost instantly, cock spurting in his boxers as his body convulsed, spasming around that wrist as he tried to milk what Sephiroth hadn’t even given him. Tears blurred his eyes as pleasure overwhelmed him, keening as that hand pulled out, and his body continued to spasm. 

He felt like a boneless mass as his body was sedated after his orgasm, panting against the counter Sephiroth had just been making pancakes on. Sephiroth pulled away from him, and bleery blue eyes turned slightly to track his movements. 

The General’s eyes were green and glowing as he walked back over, hand dripping with his essence as he came back behind him. He was a boneless mass as an arm wrapped around his waist, yanking him up and back against a strong chest as those messy fingers pushed into his mouth. 

He tasted his arousal, and the flavor of Sephiroth’s skin as he obeyed and sucked those fingers clean. He turned his eyes to the side, trying not to shiver at the sharp teeth revealed to him or those glowing Alpha eyes. “I feel like we should get something straight about what’s going on between us, don’t you?” 

Sephiroth pulled his fingers out, not hesitating in leaning down and letting his mouth latch onto the scent gland in his neck, sucking hard as Cloud whined, pressing almost desperately back against him. He struggled to get his hand into that long silver hair as Sephiroth sucked, entrance convulsing with want as he rubbed almost desperately against the rock hard cock. 

“Please...please…” he was begging for an entirely different reason now, not able to think about anything other than how much he wanted filled, getting the front of Sephiroth’s pants wet with his own need. “Alpha..” he begged, trying to use the commanding whine he had with Zack, but the command didn’t come out, only subjugation. “Alpha…” He had scratched Zack’s face off when he came near his neck, and yet Sephiroth had latched on at this point, and he was close to begging to be bit. 

Sephiroth pulled up only enough to once more press his mouth against his ear. “You are unique. You are so utterly unique it makes me crazy.” He bit at the shell. “And do you know what, my little Omega? I am going to have you. I am going to breed you over and over again until you don’t know where you start and my cock ends. I am going to drag you to the edge of insanity, and hear you beg for it because you know you can’t live without me.” He kissed his cheek almost reverently, petting his sweaty locks. “I’m going to make you love me.” 

A keycard was shoved into his mouth then as Sephiroth pulled away, leaving Cloud to once more collapse onto the counter. “That’s my key. When the itch gets too much for Zachary to scratch, feel free to use it.” Sephiroth grabbed a bag off the ground, heading to the door. “Feel free to finish making yourself breakfast. I’ll see you in training.” It was only after the door slammed that Cloud allowed himself to collapse to the ground.   
~*~

Genesis watched Sephiroth suspiciously as his friend poured over the lab results spread over his desk. “You look different.”

“You look annoying,” Sephiroth managed, not looking up from his work. 

The auburn haired SOLDIER shrugged off the insult, moving closer to examine some of the vials they had taken from the bunker in Wutaii. “How much are you going to pull the thread, Seph?” 

Green eyes glanced up towards him, eyebrow arching in expectedness. When Genesis didn’t continue, he gave a sigh. “What thread?” 

“The one that leads to the truth about that cadet,” Genesis replied. “Listen. This whole situation...an Omega...something to make our lives a little less like hell. Do you believe it?” 

“Lives?” Sephiroth questioned, and Genesis heard the warning behind the words. “He’s not to share.” 

“Isn’t he?” he questioned, knowing he was in dangerous territory, but someone had to bring up the fact that the General of Shinra, their pack leader, was trailing after a cadet that belonged to someone else. 

“Careful,” Sephiroth warned, and Genesis knew he was the only one that would ever challenge him on this. 

“Could say the same to you,” he retorted. “What’s your endgame? You find out what Hojo did. You find out that he created this other thing that can seduce SOLDIERs, and then what? Is it just to sate your curiosity?”

Sephiroth stopped what he was doing, leaning back to watch him. “Hojo? Did you tell him about Cloud?” 

“Do you think I really had to?” Genesis shot back, disgusted with the accusation. “Do you actually think this hasn’t been his idea all along. He lives to fuck with us.” 

“What did you do?” Sephiroth questioned. 

“He lives to fuck with you!” Genesis spat back, ignoring the accusation. “Yeah, he asked me to watch over him, and why do you think that is?” the SOLDIER asked. “He’s playing you!” 

“Hojo?” Sephiroth questioned, and Genesis growled in frustration as his temper boiled over. 

“Cloud!” he snapped. “He’s playing both you and Zack. How could he not know?” he questioned. “How could he not know what he was before he went into goddamn heat!?” 

Sephiroth watched him, and Genesis swallowed against the nervousness he was feeling over angering the most powerful human on the planet. ...If they were human anymore. “What did Hojo tell you?” 

Genesis sighed in resignation. “That I had to!” he finally relented. “He said that if I protected him I could have one when they got it right.” he gestured in frustration. “Because Gaia only knows that his perfect Alpha pet would get dibs on the first.” he smiled sardonically. “But it didn’t go that way, did it? Cause Zack’s in love with him, and Zack is your best friend.” He rolled his eyes. “Maybe you’ll get one when they’re perfected too.” 

“You agreed to be Hojo’s lackey to get a sex toy?” Sephiroth questioned in disgust, eyes hard with anger. “Have you sunk no lower, Genesis?” 

“It seemed entertaining at the time,” he managed, defending himself with a shrug. “Besides, I’m obviously telling you for a reason.” he rolled his eyes. “The blond puppy is..infectious.” 

Sephiroth watched him, and Genesis held his breath as he expected the attack to come. Instead, all the General said was, “He’s certainly something.” 

“Don’t get me wrong,” Genesis stated. “I don’t want to fuck him. I’m not you and Zack, but I also don’t want to do whatever it is Hojo has planned for him.”

“So you’re telling me,” Sephiroth surmised, and Genesis was once more relieved that his friend was a genius. 

“Yeah,” Genesis agreed. “What are we going to do about it?” He had watched Sephiroth teach the class for the cadet hopefuls today. He had seen the way he couldn’t take his eyes off the Omega. He had also seen the scarf Cloud was wearing around his neck. It was dangerous, this game they were playing. Zack and Sephiroth were going to get hurt because of Hojo. In truth, they probably already were. He had never wanted to betray his own kind. He had just wanted for one second to feel less lonely. He just wanted his Goddess, his other half. 

Sephiroth sighed, letting his shoulders sink a little in thought. “We talk to Zack first.” Genesis rose an eyebrow at that, not knowing the logic behind that statement. “We tell him what we know about Cloud. We tell him what we know about Wutaii.” 

“Yeah?” the SOLDIER questioned. “Then what?” Sephiroth handed over a file, and Genesis’ amber eyes narrowed in on the project name on the side. “The Nibelheim Project?” he asked, not understanding. 

“It’s Cloud’s hometown,” Sephiroth stated knowingly. 

“What’s Shinra hiding in a small hick town in the mountains?” he questioned, opening up the file as almost every word was redacted. 

“Exactly,” the SOLDIER agreed. “We can’t leave for it now. I’d imagine with everything being put in place that there are eyes on us. But soon.” 

“Are you going to tell Cloud?” Genesis asked, flipping through the redacted pages. 

“No,” Sephiroth said without hesitation. “Not until we finish pulling the string, and really see how far this goes.”   
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,


	9. One Happy Family

Chapter 9: One Happy Family 

Cloud ducked at the sword that came slicing towards his face, dodging to the side as he blocked behind his back. He couldn’t believe how quick Zack was. He rolled out of the way of an overhead swing, scrambling across the blue training mat as he just barely got the wooden sword up to block another hit. 

“Zack!” he cried, wincing as he scrambled across the mat. “Slow down...I can’t…” 

Zack didn’t relent, just swinging faster as he tried to block the blows. “Your exam is in two weeks, Spike. Can’t let up now.” 

It was true. He had his exam to qualify for Sephiroth’s special training class. It was a class that everyone knew was a one way ticket into SOLDIER. Zack had been helping him. Zack had been helping him, and Cloud had been avoiding talking about what had happened in Sephiroth’s apartment. He had been avoiding thinking about the keycard currently stuffed in his trunk. 

Cloud scrambled across the floor, gasping as his sword was knocked out of his hands, the point of Zack’s coming to his throat. Cloud frowned at the way the SOLDIER was grinning, reacting without thinking as he swung both of his legs, swiping Zack’s out from underneath him. 

The SOLDIER hit the mat with a grunt, dropping his sword. Cloud moved quickly as he pounced on his Alpha, knees pressed to either side of his chest as he slammed Zack’s arms above his head. It was his turn to grin at his lover as the dark haired SOLDIER looked more than a little surprised. “I’m ready for the exam.” 

Zack arched a brow, seeming more than comfortable with lying underneath him. “Oh yeah?” he questioned in amusement. “Maybe I just let you win?” 

Of that he had no doubt. He wasn’t delusional in thinking he could have actually beat Zack in combat, but he knew he had at least taken him by surprise. “Maybe you just wanted to be pinned?” He leaned down, stretching his body over Zack’s. 

“Always ready and able to be pinned down by you.” Cloud knew Zack could shrug him off in a second, but he seemed more than content as he entwined their fingers together. “I missed you, Spike.” 

Cloud’s face brightened at that, melting as he leaned down to claim those lips. They were alone for the time being in the training hall. They hadn’t been alone in over a week since Zack had just gotten back from a mission. He had found him here, and his first act wasn’t to take him back up to his bedroom, but rather to swing a sword at his face. ...SOLDIER priorities he supposed. 

Zack did roll them then as they kissed, but Cloud hardly noticed as he arched up towards his Alpha, moaning into his mouth. He had missed him so much. He had been feeling so guilty, and the keycard had been burning a hole in his trunk. 

He let his legs fall open, that hard body pressing between them as he arched up against him. Cloud let his mouth fall open, tasting the SOLDIER on his tongue as he moaned in pleasure at the thought of what he had been missing. 

“Zack,” he managed to gasp into this kiss as one of the alpha’s hands began to travel down his body, nails raking over his stomach as he broke off their kiss. 

“It’s so hard being away from you,” Zack managed, before burying his face into his neck. He gasped at the way the other inhaled his scent, rutting against him as Cloud fought off the urge to push him away from that spot. “I kept thinking…” He shook his head, kissing at his pulse. “I kept thinking you were unprotected. That you would go back into heat, and I wouldn’t be here.” 

Cloud frowned at that, knitting his eyebrows as he fought the urge to point out that Zack hadn’t been there the first time either. “Do you know how often they come?” he questioned, not happy that they were no longer kissing as he drew Zack’s eyes up to his. “Should I be worried?” 

Dark eyebrows knitted as a hand carded through blond spikes. “I don’t know, Spike. I wish I did. I wish I could do something other than react as this shit comes up.” 

“You could always ask,” Cloud stiffened underneath Zack at the sound of the voice, pupils immediately contracting in fear as he glanced towards the door of the training room to see the greasy long haired scientist leaning against the frame. 

Zack’s hand went protectively to Cloud’s hip at feeling the way his heart was pounding, but the blond couldn’t focus on anything but those dark eyes locked on him, frowning at him in disappointment. “Professor Hojo,” Zack said stiffly, slowly getting off of Cloud as he pulled them both to their feet. 

“Lieutenant Fair,” Hojo greeted back. “You know I do believe it isn’t quite appropriate to be sprawled over the cadets in such a manner.” 

Cloud swallowed hard, pressing himself close behind Zack. He didn’t want to get him in trouble, but he had no doubt that they were both in trouble at this point. Flashes of lying in a laboratory, of needles sticking into his skin, filled his head, and he gripped his temple as a headache began pounding through his skull. 

“What business is it of the Shinra Science Division who I sprawl across?” Zack growled out as Cloud wrapped his arms around him. He glanced back in worry, but Cloud could do nothing but bury his face in his shoulder blades. 

Cloud risked a glance around Zack’s back to see those dark eyes still staring at him in disappointment. “Cloud. Let’s go.” 

“Like hell!” Zack growled, and the vibrations that echoed through the SOLDIER’s chest made his legs go shaky as he let out a whine. 

“Your Alpha instincts are strong when it comes to him,” Hojo observed. “Did you ever stop to ask yourself if you actually care about him?” 

“What are you talking about?” Zack bit back, distaste laced in his normally jovial tone. “Of course I care about him.” 

“Oh I have no doubt you think as much,” Hojo stated, an underlying mock in his tone. “He’s designed to get under Alphas’ skin.”

“Stop it,” Cloud bit out, nails digging into Zack’s hips. Zack, for his part, didn’t seem to notice. “I wasn’t designed. Stop it!” 

Hojo’s shoulders shook with laughter at that. “Most days I have the willpower to play this little game Cloud, but you made me angry finding you the way I did.” 

Implying this had happened before. Implying he knew him much better than Cloud realized. “What did you do to my head?” he asked, voice distraught. Why couldn’t he remember? Why did it feel like he was an experiment for this bastard to test? To play with? “Why can’t I remember!?” 

The scientist watched him calmly through his outburst, holding up his hand as he motioned to the door. “Let’s go.” 

Zack growled again, the sound bouncing off the walls, and if Hojo had any sense of self preservation he would be aware of what kind of danger he was in. “Like hell,” the SOLDIER snarled. “Take another step towards him and I’ll tear you into pieces.” 

Hojo pressed the glasses up to his face, frowning in annoyance. “I’ll be taking him. You’re to report for debriefing with Lazard, or do you not remember how rank and orders work anymore, Lieutenant Fair?” He looked around towards Cloud. “Just listen for once. You don’t want me to take it out on your boyfriend, do you?” 

Cloud hated it. He hated the familiar way this man spoke to him. As if he were scolding his petulant child. As if he knew him. He pulled away from Zack, the other glancing behind his shoulder worriedly as he backed up on the training mat. 

“Good boy,” Hojo praised, causing another growl to rip through Zack’s chest. 

“Don’t talk to him like he’s a dog!” Zack snarled. “He’s not going anywhere with you.” 

“Why?” Hojo questioned. “Because you’re protecting him? You have no idea who he is, Lieutenant Fair. Now back down, and go report to Lazard. Cloud will be away for a few hours only this time.” 

“This time?” Zack hissed through clenched teeth, and Cloud felt a cold sweat sweep through him. He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to see those white walls. ...He didn’t want to forget again. 

Hojo sighed, obviously through explaining as he pulled up a syringe. “Do you know what this is?” There was blue glowing liquid in the syringe, and Cloud’s head pounded as he was sure he had seen it before. 

“Why would I?” Zack bit back, distaste leaking off his tongue. 

“Right? Why would you?” the scientist asked. “The last time I administered it to him you were too busy buried in as much sex as you could find, and running away instead of dealing with the cadet’s pain.” 

“Fuck you,” the SOLDIER snapped, and Cloud couldn’t take his eyes off the liquid. 

“I’m sure that was Cloud’s sentiment exactly,” Hojo murmured in amusement. “It stops the heat. A suppressant to keep the balance of this place, and to keep all the Alphas sane.” 

Zack shot a worried look back at him, and Cloud pulled back even further as he realized they had little choice in the matter. He didn’t want to go through what he had before. That need. ...It was uncontrollable. He had made so many mistakes. He had made Zack hurt so much. “Spike, no…” the SOLDIER tried as he watched him pull away. “We’ll figure it out.” 

“You won’t,” Hojo assured him. “He’s not going to let you go through what you went through last time. If you knew him at all, you would realize that.” 

“And how do you know him?” Zack questioned, a dark threat in his tone. 

Hojo rolled his eyes. “Now why would I tell you that?” he turned towards him. “Cloud, I’m done asking. Let’s go.” 

The urge to obey was so strong that he knew Hojo had commanded a similar thing before. How many times? Who the hell was he to Hojo? Why couldn’t he remember? “It’s okay,” he found himself saying, walking over to Zack as he placed a calming hand on his elbow. “It’ll be okay. I’ll come find you after he’s done.” 

“Done with what?” Zack asked, pulling him close as those violet eyes were shining with worry. “I don’t like this. I don’t understand why he knows so much about it.” 

“It’s alright,” Cloud assured him. “I don’t think he’ll make me forget this time.” 

“This time?” Zack asked, turning hate filled eyes to the scientist. “If you hurt him I’ll kill you.” 

“Killing me is above your paygrade, SOLIDER,” Hojo assured. “Cloud, tell your boyfriend good-bye. I grow weary of his inadequacies.” 

Cloud eyed him warily, leaning forward and kissing the back of Zack’s shoulder. “I’ll be back tonight, alright?” he assured his lover. “I have to go.” 

Zack never took his eyes off Hojo, hate leaching through him as Cloud clung to him. “Why do you have to go? Why would you?” he questioned, tearing his eyes away to look down on him in worry. 

“Because he knows how to listen,” Hojo answered for him. “Cloud, now.” The tone he used left no room for argument as Cloud tore himself away from Zack. Hojo raised an eyebrow in approval, staring at Zack’s snarling form. “Go report to Lazard. Trust that I know how to fix him.” 

“I don’t trust a single thing about you,” Zack assured him, fists clenched at his side. 

Hojo shrugged. “Nevertheless, he is coming with me.” He motioned to Cloud. “Let’s go.” 

Cloud couldn’t bring himself to look back at the SOLDIER as he could feel his eyes beating into his back. Had he disappointed him? If nothing else he knew he had to be worried. Why was he listening to Hojo at all? Why did it feel like he was compelled to do so? 

They were both silent as Cloud followed Hojo to the Shinra labs, stomach coiling in nervousness as he considered the fact that this felt so familiar. It felt like it had happened a hundred times before. 

“Did you do this to me?” Cloud questioned as they entered the lab. “Did you do something to me, Professor?” 

Hojo tilted his head back, shaking it slowly in exasperation. “I understand that this memory loss is of my own creation, but it can really be irritating sometimes.” 

The scientist reached out to him, and Cloud slapped the hand away with a glare. “Of your own making? Why? Why are you doing this to me? Why did you make me like this!?” 

“Oh, I made you now?” Hojo questioned in amusement. “Is that what you think?” He pushed the glasses up his nose, rolling his eyes. “Go get on the table, Cloud. I need to do bloodwork to make sure you didn’t screw this up beyond repair.” 

Cloud did as he was told, going to sit on the cold table as Hojo came over and grabbed his arm, stretching it out as he tied a tourniquet. He was frowning as a needle poked through his skin, Hojo hitting on the first mark like he had done it thousands of times before. 

“What are you testing me for?” he asked the scientist, trying not to think about the last time he had had his blood drawn. 

“STDs…” Hojo glanced up towards him. “Pregnancy.” 

“I’m a boy!” Cloud bit back immediately, blushing at just the thought. 

“Not just a boy, eh?” Hojo questioned. “You’re something more. I know what you found in Wutaii. I know you know what an Omega can do.” 

“There are no other Omegas, besides me,” Cloud growled back. 

Hojo rolled his eyes again, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “You’re adorable when you’re like this. Annoying, but adorable.” He pulled out the syringe with the blue liquid. “Now, I’m going to give this to you, but there are some ground rules.” 

“You talk like you’re my keeper,” Cloud hissed out, not able to take his eyes off the syringe. “That keeps the heats away?”

Hojo nodded slowly. “But you know that already, don’t you?” he questioned. 

“I don’t actually!” Cloud bit back. “You messed with my memories. Did you experiment on me? Did you make me some kind of breeding monster?” 

The scientist sighed in disgust, before plunging the syringe in Cloud’s neck as the other gasped. “I did nothing to you here besides what you asked me to. Remember that. Before we got here, why yes, I experimented on you. I made you the way you are...strong enough to control Alphas.” 

“Why?” Cloud questioned, trying to keep track of this rush of information as his stomach rolled and cramped with the drug. “Why do you want to control Alphas?” 

The scientist frowned, disappointment etched into his skin as he held out a container with two white pills. “That’s a stupid question.” 

Cloud glanced down at the pills. “What are they?” 

“Preventatives from mako poisoning,” Hojo answered easily, at the look of confusion that covered Cloud’s face the professor gave a lecherous grin. “I assume you haven’t been using protection?” 

“You’re disgusting!” Cloud bit back, but took the pills as Hojo handed him some water. “Are you going to hurt Zack?” 

Hojo sighed at the question. “Zachary Fair. The irritating example and goodness in this universe. Of course you’d be drawn to him. Do you love him?” 

He was taken aback by the question, holding his stomach as nausea swept through him. “Does it matter?” 

“I asked, didn’t I?” Hojo remarked. 

“I do,” Cloud answered slowly, worry taking over as he didn’t like the familiarity with which the scientist spoke to him. “Don’t hurt him.” 

Hojo sighed. “I’m not going to hurt your boyfriend, Cloud. I’m sure you’ll manage that all on your own.” 

“I don’t understand,” Cloud tried, placing his hand over his mouth as bile rose up his throat. Hojo handed him a bucket right before he emptied the contents of his stomach. 

Cloud flinched as another needle was stuck into his neck, hand reaching out to grasp it as he once more vomited. “Lay back. The sickness usually only lasts a few hours. You’re not in heat yet, and so it should pass.” 

He felt sedated as he was pushed back, laying on the bed as his limbs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds. ...At least his stomach had relaxed for the time being. “Tell me the truth…” he managed, reaching out to grasp at the white lab coat as his eyes blurred. 

“The truth?” Hojo questioned, not seeming to mind the hand fisted in his clothes. “You’re with the wrong Alpha.” Cloud knitted his eyebrows, about to respond to how wrong the scientist was when he succumbed to the drug, hand slipping down to fall along his side.   
~*~

Cloud had woken up back in the training hall as if nothing had ever happened. He was laying on a mat in the corner, and he could still smell the vomit on his shirt and the sweat from training. His head was fuzzy, but he still remembered. Zack had to have been worried. He had to have been going out of his mind as it was almost sunrise. 

What could he possibly think? Did he think he was a freak? Did he think he was a liar as Hojo was obviously familiar with what was happening to him? What was happening to him? How long had this been going on? Cloud tried to think back to before he had come to Shinra, and he couldn’t remember. He couldn’t even remember his mother’s face. 

Tears poured down his face as he swept the keycard across the lock, pushing into the apartment as he couldn’t stop shaking. Cloud slipped off his shoes, feeling dirty as he headed down the hall. He felt like he was losing his sanity. He just wanted it to stop. He just wanted to know why he couldn’t remember anything before PT drills and patrol. 

Cloud wiped furiously at his face as he entered the bedroom, eyes open and vulnerable as he took in the body on the bed. He couldn’t answer why he had come here. Why he hadn’t gone home to Zack, but that didn’t change the fact that he met Sephiroth’s eyes as the other stared at him curiously. He bit his bottom lip, not able to speak his betrayal as he begged with his eyes, shuddering as Sephiroth slowly lifting up the blanket. 

He moved forward without thinking, crawling up onto the bed and getting on top of Sephiroth, leaning in and claiming his lips before he could stop himself. His lips were trembling as he kissed the SOLDIER desperately, straddling his waist as his hands traveled over the revealed hard flesh. 

His fingers fisted in the long silver hair, moaning at the taste of the Alpha as he pressed closer, desperate to feel anything but fear as he sobbed into his mouth. Pleasure exploded behind his vision as Sephiroth swept his tongue against his own, and he reveled in the taste. 

Cloud pulled back long enough to strip the t-shirt over his spikes, throwing it across the room before he leaned down to kiss Sephiroth again. He needed his Alpha. He needed him to make it all better. He needed his mind to stop spinning with the fact that he couldn’t remember anything beyond this place. 

Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, but Cloud pressed a palm over it before he could, shaking his head and begging him to understand as tears poured down his cheeks. Silver brows furrowed as worry covered the normally stoic face, and Cloud leaned down to pour his forgiveness onto those lips as his hand snaked down, moaning as he discovered that Sephiroth slept in the nude. 

He watched Sephiroth as he wrapped his hand around that large cock, sliding his hand slowly up and down the burgeoning erection, and watching the aqua spread through his eyes as he hardened in his hand. He kept his other hand pressed to that mouth, panting as arousal swept through him and wetness leaked down his thighs. 

The pungent scent of sex filled the room, and Sephiroth reacted with a growl, lunging forward as he tackled Cloud backwards. The blond moaned as his lips were claimed again, not hesitating in wrapping his arms around his neck as their tongues fought for dominance. All guilt was gone as he couldn’t think of anything beyond his pleasure. He couldn’t think of anything besides what his body was craving...who it was craving. 

His nails trailed down Sephiroth’s back as the other broke away from his mouth, kissing a trail down his neck as he focused in on the scent gland on his neck. Cloud gasped, releasing more of that scent into the air as he obeyed the hands arching up his hips. The SOLDIER slipped the pants down over his hips, throwing them across the room before Cloud yanked him back to his mouth. 

Sephiroth was the strongest human on the planet, and yet he kissed him almost gently, lips revenant as they traced down his neck, biting at his clavicle as he carefully spread his legs. Strong hands traced along his thighs, before a finger pressed between his legs, Sephiroth covering up the pain as he bit at his shoulder. 

Cloud leaked slick down onto that finger as pleasure shot up his spine, member hard against his stomach as a pearl of precum dripped slowly from it. The finger swirled inside of him, causing him to squirm as another pressed in alongside it. He gasped as those fingers stretched, being more than accommodating as he looked above him to see Sephiroth’s eyes glowing in the darkness with the powers inside of him...with his instincts. 

He moaned as those fingers opened him up, not knowing why Sephiroth was bothering as his body more than prepped itself. He’d open his mouth to tell him that too if he didn’t think he would start bawling again with one word. Sephiroth hadn’t asked any questions. He hadn’t asked why he had come into his apartment. He had given him what he needed. He had taken care of him. 

Sephiroth pulled his fingers out, using his free hand to hitch up his hips as he reached down to palm his cock. He looked questioningly down into Cloud’s eyes, and he found himself nodding his approval as he reached up to pull the SOLDIER back down to his lips. 

He pushed in inch by inch, taking it slow as they kissed as stars exploded behind his vision and his entire body thrummed with want. It felt so right. It felt like his body was meant for it as his own eyes began to glow a bright blue. 

Cloud pulled him closer as Sephiroth took him slowly, pressing deep inside him as he cried out at the feeling of pleasure as he fell backwards onto the bed. The arms wrapped around Sephiroth’s neck ensured the other followed as he began to slowly move inside him as they kissed. 

Long hair cascaded around him, and he was surrounded in the Alpha’s scent, filled with him as he rocked inside his spread legs. He pulled back as the cock pressed deep inside him, scraping against his prostate as he cried out and clenched around him. 

Cloud kneaded his fingers in that perfect silk hair as Sephiroth rocked up against the gland, slick pouring down his legs as pleasure overwhelmed him. His eyes were wide as he met those glowing aqua ones, feeling the cock inside him begin to swell, and crying out at the overwhelming pain and pleasure as the knot pushed inside. 

Sephiroth’s eyes were wide and blown with confusion as he didn’t seem to realize what was happening either as warmth began to flood Cloud’s insides. His nails dug their way down Sephiroth’s perfectly muscled back, cumming hard around that cock as his body began to spasm around the knot. He milked him as they kissed, and he was crying again with the pleasure of it before he could stop himself. 

Aftershock tremors were still going through him twenty minutes later when Sephiroth finally pulled free. He seemed just as shocked as he felt as he rolled over onto his back. Cloud didn’t want to be away from him, crawling over to lay against that strong chest, laying his spikes down as he panted after the exertion. An arm slowly came to wrap around his waist as Cloud panted, fingers tracing over abs as he finally stopped crying. 

“Am I allowed to speak yet?” Sephiroth finally asked, leaning down as lips pressed into his hair. 

Cloud nodded against his chest, tightening his grip on the other as he realized what would happen when he finally could respond.

“Are you going to tell me why you’re so upset?” the SOLDIER asked, and Cloud shook his head against his skin. “May I hazard a guess then?” Cloud’s nails dug into his stomach, hiding his face as he refused to answer. “Zack told me that Hojo had taken you. The only thing preventing me from storming his lab was that he asked me not to. He said you had gone willingly.” 

Cloud pulled up in a panic, eyes wide and worried. “Did you tell him?” his voice broke with the guilt he hadn’t let himself feel. What had he done? Had he cheated on Zack? Had he…

“Sshhh…” Sephiroth breathed, cupping the back of his head. “Come here..” He pulled Cloud down to his mouth, parting his lips slightly as they lazily kissed until the panic melted away from his spine. “It’s okay,” he whispered into his mouth. “I didn’t tell him anything.” He kissed him tenderly. “Relax...you’re trembling.” 

He did as he was told as they lazily kissed, mouth barely moving together, and yet somehow not able to part. His eyes were lidded when Sephiroth finally did pull away. “Are you going to tell me now?” 

“Are you?” Sephiroth questioned, carding his long fingers through his sweaty spikes. “I’ve never done what we just did. I didn’t know my body could do that.” 

Cloud smiled lazily, practically purring as he leaned into the way those fingers massaged his scalp. “Did I take your virginity then?”

He could practically feel Sephiroth rolling his eyes as he laid back against his chest. “Hardly. Though I must say...you definitely took my will to ever fuck a normal man again away.” 

A lazy smile lit up his face, not able to help himself as he looked up to meet those curious eyes. “Why General...that may in fact be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” 

Sephiroth actually smiled then, and Cloud thought it might be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. “Are you going to stay the night?” 

Cloud pressed his lips to his peck. “It’s already morning,” he murmured. “And I have to go before…” 

“Before your boyfriend finds you?” Sephiroth questioned, the smile evaporating from his face. 

He shook his head, eyes filling with tears once more as the guilt ate at him, and he didn’t resist when Sephiroth pulled him back to his chest. “There’s something wrong with me. I shouldn’t be like this. I shouldn’t want to be with you, but I do.” 

Sephiroth stiffened underneath him, and Cloud sat up fully knowing he had messed up. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just…” He reached up to his neck, which was covered in bruises. “I would have let you. I won’t even let Zack kiss me here, but I would have let you. What does that mean?” 

“That you’re a tease?” Sephiroth questioned, eyes hard and untrusting as he watched him. “What do you think that spot on your neck means, exactly?” 

Mates. The thought entered his head within an instant. He didn’t know how he knew it. He didn’t know how he could possibly know when he couldn’t even remember his own past, but he knew it. “That I would belong to someone.” 

“Oh believe me, Cloud,” Sephiroth bit out. “You belong to someone.” 

“What would you have me do, exactly?” Cloud questioned, having heard the possession in that tone. “What should I do Sephiroth? Should I tell my best friend...the person I love...that since I saw his friend in an alley and he smelled me that I can’t stop thinking about him?” he asked with a growl. “That I let him jack me off while he took blood samples? That I let him finger fuck me against his counter?” 

“That you let him knot you?” Sephiroth added helpfully, sitting up as well as he got into his face. “That you came to him when you were bawling your eyes out when you could have come to him?” 

“And why is that?” Cloud asked. “Can you explain it? Because I can’t..” Cloud shook his head, letting his fear and insecurities pour out. “There’s something wrong with me. I can’t remember. I can’t remember anything before coming here.” He reached out, hands fisting in Sephiroth’s hair as he crawled forward into his lap. “Why can’t I remember?” He met those angry aqua eyes full on. “What did he do to me?” 

Sephiroth sighed, relenting as he pulled Cloud close, fingers trailing comfortingly down his spine. “I want you to come with me. I don’t want to leave you here alone with Hojo.” 

Cloud tilted his head in question. “Where are we going?” 

“Nibelheim,” he said slowly. “I think it’ll have answers.” 

Blue eyes widened to saucers, trying to pull away, but Sephiroth held him close. “We can’t. I don’t…” Why was he so afraid? “What if we find something bad?”

“Then we find it together,” Sephiroth assured him, voice soft and placating as he stroked down his spine. “We need to know, Cloud. It isn’t just about you. Hojo is doing this for control.” 

“Could I control you?” Cloud asked, chest still slightly heaving. 

“Would you try?” Sephiroth questioned, massaging along his hip bones. 

“What about Zack?” Cloud asked. “We can’t just leave and not tell him. I won’t do that to him.” 

Sephiroth frowned at the statement. “We won’t. Zachary is going to come with.” 

He knitted his eyebrows at that, anxiety spiking as he realized the implication of such a pairing. “One big happy family?” he asked mockingly.

He was pulled close, Sephiroth kissing the top of his head as Cloud reveled in the comfort. “Indeed…”   
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N- So that happened. I must say I was in the mood to write Cloud submissive after the new trailer. Anyone else dying of excitement for the Honey Bee Inn? Is it April yet? Hope you enjoyed it and it didn’t give you too many questions. Thanks for reading and for the reviews! They keep me going :)


	10. The Ride to Hell

Chapter 10: The Ride to Hell 

Cloud vomited into a bucket, having been crouched into the corner of the truck for the last several hours. They were on a truck disguised as a supply run, heading to his hometown, and he didn’t know what was making him more sick, the car, or the fact that Sephiroth and Zack were sitting side by side on the bench of the truck. 

He hadn’t been feeling well since he had woken up in the morning with the realization that he was going to have to go discover some hard truths with both men whom he was currently sleeping with. His nerves were beyond frayed as he threw up yet again, ignoring the looks he was getting from the two men. Zack, one of pity and worry, whereas Sephiroth’s was definitely disgust. 

“Spike,” Zack cojolled, and Cloud shuttered as he felt a hand pressed to his lower back. “You just have to relax.” 

Cloud reacted without thinking, slapping the hand away from him as he stood up in the truck, chest heaving as sickness and anxiety overwhelmed him. “Don’t,” he snapped, rubbing his hand through his hair as he had discarded his helmet hours ago when he had started vomiting. 

He had agreed to come because Sephiroth had asked him, a fact that he would try to break down when he wasn’t so panicked. However, he knew he shouldn’t be going. He was breaking the rules. Hojo had given him specific instructions. He wasn’t supposed to leave. He wasn’t supposed to go to that place. His mind flashed to a white room. To a tank full of mako. To choking on that liquid as a tube was pulled from his throat. 

“We should turn around,” Cloud pleaded, face pale and clammy as he couldn’t bring himself to look at either of them in his panicked state. “He’s going to find out.” He would know. “He’ll punish...He’ll…”

Cloud sobbed as he was pulled into Zack’s arms, letting those arms wrap around him as he fought the urge to push him away. He inhaled deep, filling his lungs with the alpha’s scent as his pupils dilated. 

“Spike,” Zack spoke softly. “Do you mean Hojo?” Those strong arms continued to hold him as he shook like a leaf, not pressuring him for an answer as sickness roiled in his belly. 

“It stinks in here,” Sephiroth commented, and Cloud watched as he got up to speak with the driver. “Pull over. Give the cadet a break.” 

Cloud shut his eyes, leaning against Zack as gratefulness swept through him. He inhaled in and out, not sure why the touch of Zack’s fingers along his spine made his skin crawl. He loved him. He loved him more than anything. So why? Another wave of nausea swept through him as he grabbed for his belly, moaning in misery as he allowed himself to be walked back to the bench as Sephiroth jumped out to empty the bucket of sick. 

Zack maneuvered them upon sitting so that Cloud was laying on his lap, and he sighed in pleasure as fingers carded through his sweaty hair. “He must like you,” Zack teased, and Cloud breathed in relief as his stomach stopped roiling. “Never thought I’d see him empty out vomit.” 

Tears rolled silently down Cloud’s eyes as those fingers never left his hair, and he knew for a fact that he didn’t deserve Zack after what he had done to him. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me,” he spoke softly. 

The SOLDIER gave a hearty laugh, leaning down to kiss his cheek. “Don’t worry so much. I’m pretty strong. You’ll find I don’t hurt that easily.” 

But he would hurt him. As soon as he found out he had slept with someone else, Zack would be irreparably hurt. It wasn’t just that though. He was disobeying the scientist’s orders. When he found out, what would he do to teach him a lesson?

Cloud turned bleary blue eyes up to Zack, seeing those worried violet eyes watching him. “I don’t deserve you. I’m not what you think I am.” What was he exactly? “I’m going to disappoint you.” 

The SOLDIER rolled his eyes, leaning down to press lips to his clammy forehead. “You could never,” he assured him, looking up as Sephiroth climbed back into the truck. “Think we can give him a few more minutes?” 

Steeling his nerves, Cloud hazarded a glance up to Sephiroth, flinching at the cold anger etched onto his features. It wasn’t just Zack he was hurting then. Of course it wasn’t. A new wave of guilt washed through him, but he felt too ill still to raise his head. 

“We’ve already risked being seen by stopping once,” Sephiroth spoke, frigid anger in his tone. “He is a trooper of Shinra. He needs to learn to ride in a car.” 

“You know it isn’t just that,” Zack argued, annoyance in his tone. “Hojo did something to him.”

“Yes,” Sephiroth agreed icily. “I imagine he did a lot of things to him. Suck it up Cloud. Genesis is only going to be able to distract Hojo for so long.” 

Cloud pushed himself off Zack’s lap, eyes locked with Sephiroth’s as anxiety swelled throughout him. He had displeased the alpha. He had upset him. He shook his head to clear the thought. “We can go,” he managed, trying to imagine just what Genesis had come up with to keep Professor Hojo busy while they snuck out of the city. 

“Spike, we don’t have to,” Zack assured him, glancing back up towards Sephiroth. “What exactly does Genesis plan to do to keep the creepy professor distracted?” 

Sephiroth scoffed, rolling his eyes as he motioned to the driver to start up again. “He told me he was going to tell the professor he suspects he might be pregnant.” 

Cloud’s stomach rolled again at that as the turned back onto the road, and he grabbed for the freshly emptied bucket to empty out the contents of his stomach once again. 

When the car came to a stop the second time, Cloud had managed to work himself back into a bit of a state. He stared at the truck doors, willing them never to open and reveal his hometown. He hadn’t wanted to come back here so soon. He hadn’t wanted to come back still a failure. 

Yet, the door opened regardless, revealing the town entrance. It sparked something in his memory. It just didn’t spark enough. He knew he had been here. He knew this was where he was raised. Yet, he couldn’t remember anything about it. Who were his friends? What house did he live in? Why couldn’t he remember his mother’s face? Her voice? 

He curled his knees up to his chest as the other two rose in the van. He gripped at his spikes in anxiety, turning to look up at them. “I’m scared,” he admitted, having nothing more in his stomach to throw up due to nerves. 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth bit out in frustration. “I’m not staying on this vomit infested truck for one more second. This is your hometown. We are here getting answers for you. Stop being a petulant brat.”

“Sephiroth!” Zack hissed, and Cloud saw anger cover his face. “Don’t speak to him like that.” 

“I can speak to him however I want to,” Sephiroth assured him, looming over Zack. “He’s meant to obey us. You know that, right? Hojo may be trying to make him into something else, but that’s not why he came to be.” 

“You don’t know anything about him beyond your tests,” Zack bit back. “What do his results have to do with what he’s gone through? You don’t know what happened to him here!” 

“I doubt he does either,” Sephiroth motioned to him. “He’s an experiment, you realize? For us?” 

It felt like he had been slapped, and he didn’t know what had set Sephiroth off in such a way. This had all been his idea. He had been the one to ask both him and Zack to come. A few days ago he had been kissing him awake in his bed, and now he could hardly stand to look at him. 

“For us?” Zack questioned softly. “What do you mean for us?” Cloud froze as he realized what Zack was inferring, and dread filled his stomach. 

Sephiroth rose an eyebrow, obviously realizing his slip. “Just because you’re the one fucking him, do you imagine that the rest of us can’t smell him?” 

A growl broke out from Zack’s chest, and Cloud whined at the reaction it caused in his own body. “Careful.” 

“Do you think you’re the only one to look at him and want him?” Cloud squirmed where he stood as the growling increased. 

“Stop,” he tried, but both alphas were ignoring him as they stared each other down. “He’s just saying what everyone knows, Zack,” he tried, reaching out to grab at that stiff shoulder. “You know what it was like when I was in heat.” He rubbed up Zack’s spine, leaning into his ear. “Can we just get this over with?” 

Zack looked back at him incredulously, shrugging the hand off him. “He’s not talking about your heat,” angered violet eyes turned up towards the General of Shinra, slitted and dangerous. “Are you?” 

Sephiroth hummed in his throat, looking back and forth between them. “No, Zackary,” he started. “I’m not just talking about his heat.” 

Cloud felt like ice water had been poured down his spine, gritting his teeth as he turned betrayed eyes towards Sephiroth, who simply rose a challenging eyebrow in reply. “It doesn’t matter. We have limited time, and I’d very much like to get this over with.” 

He pushed passed Sephiroth out into the fresh air, inhaling shakily as he couldn’t bring himself to glance back at the two growling alphas. He had messed up. He had ruined things between all of them, and he would repent for that later. He would repent for it after he had his answers from this god forsaken town. 

It wasn’t a surprise to smell Zack’s scent come behind him first, but he didn’t dread it any less as a possessive arm wrapped around his waist. His SOLDIER was trembling with anger, nails digging into his hip as Cloud couldn’t take his eyes off the town sign at the entrance. If he looked back into those eyes he would confess everything. If he saw the hurt and anger on that face he would ruin everything for sure. 

“Cloud?” Zack questioned kissing his cheek as he held him close. “Before...before back in Wutai you said ‘one of you’ I asked you who you meant. You said there was no one else.” 

Cloud allowed himself to lean back into those arms, taking an inhale of his scent before turning to face him. “I love you.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sephiroth frowning at him from the truck. “Always...we’ll get through this.” 

Zack looked like he had been slapped, eyes widening as Cloud all but had confirmed that something had happened between them. He couldn’t lie to him anymore. Zack was his alpha. He knew he had wronged him. 

He knew he was going to hurt him.

“Zack…” The alpha pushed passed him, but not before he was able to see the pain etched on his face. 

Cloud cursed, covering his mouth to stop the sob as he turned angry eyes up to Sephiroth as he came over. “You did that on purpose,” he growled under his breath, bleary accusing eyes fixed on the general.

“Yes,” Sephiroth confirmed. “I was sick of beating around the bush with him. Try watching the one you want snuggled up on someone else’s lap for 8 hours, and see how rational you can be.” There was no humor in his voice as he reached out and dragged Cloud’s head to the side. Cloud shoved at his chest, but he didn’t budge as he smelled him. “Your scent has changed.” He dragged those eyes back up to his. “You’re sick, and your scent has changed. If he had any sense he’d be fully aware what that meant, but he rejects the Alpha side of him. He does not allow himself to realize what it means to be with you.” 

“And what does it mean to be with me?” Cloud questioned, not understanding what Sephiroth meant about his scent. 

“The alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end. Your other half.” Sephiroth gritted his teeth, as if debating something. “You shouldn’t be with him. You were meant for me.” 

“Why?” Cloud bit out. “Because you said so? Because you took it upon yourself to implode my relationship?” Even though he was fully aware he had done beyond enough to decimate it himself. He wasn’t innocent. 

“Do you not see all the pieces lining up?” Sephiroth questioned. “Do you not feel what I feel?” 

“I feel sick,” Cloud replied with, ripping his face away from the alpha and heading into the town, doing everything possible to avoid vomiting into the bushes as he did.   
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. It seemed like a good place to end it. Hope everyone is staying safe, and am crossing my fingers that the remake doesn't get delayed due to the plague.


	11. Family Memories

Chapter 11: Family Memories 

Cloud stared up at the water tower with no sense of familiarity at all. He didn’t recognize the houses, or the shops. It was the town he had been living in just a year before, and yet, it might as well have been any other place in Gaia. He was terrified to realize that he didn’t even know which one of these houses he lived in. He had a mother...didn’t he? Didn’t everybody?

He had seen Zack head to the bar, and didn’t know if he would want to speak with him yet. Not after what he had found out. He didn’t blame him...of course he didn’t. He was just praying he might forgive him. 

“Excuse me?” Cloud dragged his gaze away from the entrance of the pub at the sound of the curious voice. He turned to meet a dark hair girl around his age, smiling at him. She was dressed in a short suede skirt, and a button down halter to her midriff. His eyes were glued on the fit body, having to tear his eyes away from her chest to look into her smiling face. 

“Hi,” he said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

“Do I know you?” she questioned, head tilting in curiosity.

Did she? Should he know her? “I don’t think so,” he replied, on edge with nervousness. “Think I would remember knowing someone like you.” She was beautiful. How did he not remember her?

The girl blushed, looking down as she twirled her arms behind her back. “Well we should change that.” She held out her hand. “Welcome to Nibelheim.” 

Cloud reached out to shake her hand. “Actually, I’ve been here before.”

“You have?” she questioned. “What would bring someone all the way out here?” She looked down at his outfit. “Oh! Are you Shinra?” She placed an excited hand to her bottom lip. “Are you SOLDIER!?” 

It was his turn to blush, shame welling in his gut as he didn’t want to tell this girl that he hadn’t accomplished anything he had set out to. It shouldn’t shame him to admit he was working towards his goal to a stranger, and yet that was all he could feel as he stared into her doe like eyes. 

“Actually,” he started. “I’m a just a…”

“Do you not know him?” Sephiroth questioned, coming to stand behind him. Cloud stiffened as he felt a hand come to his hip, clutching almost angrily after what had happened at the entrance. 

The girl shrugged. “Should I?” 

“How old are you?” Sephiroth asked her, and Cloud shifted away from the grasp, too angry at him to stand the touch. 

“Just turned 18!” she answered proudly, hungry eyes gazing upwards as she took in Sephiroth’s formidable frame. “I know you!” 

“Do you?” Sephiroth asked her. “You know all the other boys your age in this town?” 

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” she stated proudly, and Cloud flinched as he realized why Sephiroth was asking. 

“Cloud grew up here. Don’t tell me you don’t recognize him?” Cloud glanced back to see Sephiroth watching her with disdain. “He doesn’t exactly have a forgettable face.” 

“Neither do you,” she replied. “But I don’t remember seeing you around here either. Funny thing that, not remembering every boy in the world.” She pointed to Cloud. “He’s not from Nibelheim. I would know that much at least.” She motioned behind her, and Cloud’s eyes followed up to a lumbering old mansion. “Unless he’s from up the hill. There was a kid who used to live up there.” She tilted her head as she examined his face. “Maybe that is where I’ve seen you...I kind of remember the chocobo butt hair.” 

“I lived in a mansion?” Cloud asked, before realizing he shouldn’t be making it quite so obvious he couldn’t remember doing so. 

“You don’t know?” the girl questioned, giggling softly. “You’re weird. Shouldn’t you remember that, or something?” She reached out, grabbing his hand. “Come on, I’ll take you up there.” She grinned at Sephiroth. “You too if you promise to stop being so grumpy.” Cloud glanced back at Sephiroth, before he was yanked forward. “I’m Tifa by the way.” 

Tifa squeezed his hand as they headed up the hill. “I can’t get you into the mansion. The gate is always locked, but you guys should be able to get in, right?”

“Why would we be able to get in?” he asked, glancing back towards Sephiroth who was following them with a frown. 

“Because it’s a Shinra property, Cloud.” Sephiroth was staring up at the old house with disdain. “I’ve heard of this place.” From the sound of his tone, Cloud could guess it hadn’t been anything good. 

He couldn’t focus on that though, because alarm bells were going off inside his head. Shinra property. He had grown up on Shinra property. Cloud felt a sharp pain go through his head as a memory of him climbing down a set of wooden spiral stairs flashed in his mind. The same time as his head pounded, his stomach started to roll yet again, and he vomited before he could help himself from the pain. 

Sephiroth was there in an instant, and Cloud grunted as he was swept off his feet, glowering at the nerve of the SOLDIER, but his stomach did calm as the pain in his head subsided. “Put me down.” 

“You need to lie down,” the general argued, glancing back towards Tifa who was staring wide-eyed in both shock and concern. “Thank you for the help.” 

“Sephiroth!” Cloud hissed as the other carried him down the hill as he tried not to hyperventilate. “Put me down! Zack might see,” he hit his chest. “Sephiroth!” 

A growl reverberated through Sephiroth’s chest at that, and Cloud moaned as his body shuddered it’s agreement, burying his face in the Alpha’s neck, inhaling the powerful scent. “That’s not fair.” 

Lips pressed to the top of his head, and Cloud clung tighter as the anger he felt towards him was put on the back burner as his fear and anxiety took control. “Cloud, that place. There’s rumors about it.” Sephiroth did set him down then, drawing him back towards an alley. “I know you’re angry with me, and I know I messed things up for you and Zack, but that place…” 

“It’s a bad place…” Cloud said softly, turning wide blue eyes up to Sephiroth. “It’s a very bad place.” He reached up, cupping Sephiroth’s cheek. “We could go back. We could go back and pretend none of this ever happened.” 

Sephiroth leaned down, and Cloud sighed as lips pressed against his. He hated himself for kissing back, and he hated himself even more given the fact that Zack was hurting and he couldn’t help himself. Sephiroth pulled away then, his eyes stern as he watched him. “We can’t go back. You know that. You can take a rest in the inn. I’ll go get Zack for you, and then we need to get some answers.” 

Cloud knitted his eyebrows, stepping back as he frowned at the alpha. “You’ll get Zack for me?” he questioned, shaking his head. “And what exactly are you planning to say to him, Seph?” He shook his head incredulously. “I calmed him down with my tongue, why don’t you go finish the job with your dick?” 

The SOLDIER reacted then, teeth growing as he lunged forward, slamming Cloud back against the wall. “No, not so that he can offer you his dick,” Sephiroth hissed, hand gripping his hips. “You’re going to break it off with him. You’re going to tell him what happened between us, and you’re going to stop playing us both.” 

Fear and arousal swept through him at the command in the alpha’s voice, but even more than that he felt angry at the assumption. “I’m not leaving Zack,” he shoved at Sephiroth’s chest. “If you want me to choose, then you’re not going to like the answer.” 

Sephiroth’s eyes flashed cold then. “You don’t belong with Zachary, and you’re not going to be with him. I told you...your smell has changed.” 

“Meaning what?” Cloud snapped at him. 

“Meaning that my…” Sephiroth stopped himself, gritting his teeth as he glowered down at Cloud. “You’re stressed. I understand, but you wouldn’t have come to me if you wanted to be with him.” 

Cloud stared sadly up at the alpha, reaching up to card his fingers through that silky hair. “Sephiroth...I don’t know why I came to you, but it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be with him. I love him.” The fact that he didn’t love Sephiroth was left stagnant between them. “I’m sorry,” his heart was pounding as he pushed the SOLDIER back, knowing that he was only able to because he let him. “It’s always been Zack.” He held his breath as he whined at the hurt on the alpha’s face, feeling the innate need to comfort him even as Sephiroth was backing away.   
“Seph,” he tried, but the narrowed cat like eyes caused his jaw to snap back shut. 

“Go to him then,” Sephiroth bit out, frigidness thick on his tongue. “Be it from me to prevent you from making your own mistakes.” 

Cloud kept his eyes to the ground, waiting until he left before he headed back into town. He was holding back tears as he pushed through the door into the pub, heart aching as he saw Zack at the bar, ordering another drink. 

He knew Zack had to be aware he was standing behind him, but he had yet to look back. Cloud had made such a mess of things, and now they were here about to find out god knows what, and all he could think about was how he had ruined things with them both. 

Taking a deep breath, he swallowed his nervous trepidation as he came up behind the SOLDIER, hands running up the other’s back. “Zack...can we talk?” 

Zack didn’t turn around, taking another gulp of whiskey as he motioned to the bartender to pour him another. “About what, Spike?” The bitter anger made Cloud flinch, even though he knew he deserved it. 

“Zack,” What was he supposed to say to him? Sorry I screwed your best friend? Sorry I lied to you? Sorry I cheated on you? “I love you.” 

The other snorted into his glass, finishing another as he motioned for a refill. “You smell like Sephiroth. Don’t know how I didn’t notice it before.” 

“I…” he didn’t have the words that Zack wanted to hear. He couldn’t take what he did away. “I won’t do it again.” 

Zack did stiffen at that, shrugging the hands off him as he turned in the stool. “Really? You won’t do it again?” 

Cloud looked around at the small town bar, knowing all eyes were on them as he shot a warning look at Zack. “Maybe we should go to the Inn.” 

“Oh yeah?” Zack questioned, angered sarcasm dripping from his tone. “Why’s that baby?” He motioned around. “Worried they’re going to know you’re gay? That would be a problem, right? Small town boy, taking it up the ass from a SOLDIER,” he stopped himself, putting a hand to his chest. “My apologies, SOLDIERs.” 

“You’re drunk,” Cloud snapped, glancing around as the entire bar was abuzz. 

“Oh, immensely,” Zack agreed. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve asked all around this town, and for some reason nobody knows who you are.” 

“Stop it,” Cloud snapped. 

“Nobody has ever heard of a boy named Cloud coming from this town,” Zack continued. “And you know what else, baby?” Zack purred, coming up to him as he cupped his face. “I wish I had never heard of you either.” 

Being this up close, Cloud could see how blood shot Zack’s eyes were. He could feel the pain coming off his alpha. “Let’s just go talk…” He tried to reach for him, but Zack batted his hands away. 

“Why? So you can fuck me back into submission?” Zack stumbled back a little, reaching for the entire bottle as the bartender seemed too shocked to argue. “So you make everything better? Is it ever going to be better between us? Are you ever going to have not broken my heart?” Zack motioned to him with the bottle. “Just another experiment for you, right Spike?” 

“That’s not fair,” he managed, feeling sick again as Zack’s whiskey breath hit his face. “You’re drunk, and we’ll talk later. But you were never an experiment to me.” 

“Were…” Zack repeated, taking another drink. “Well that tells me all I need to know, doesn’t it Spike?” 

Zack pushed passed him to walk out into the now night air. Cloud’s temper spiked as he ran after him. “Don’t you dare walk away from me!” Cloud screamed at Zack’s back. “I never once turned my back on you after what happened during my heat! How many people did you sleep with? What did your nature make you do?” 

He didn’t care that they were in the middle of town, or that Sephiroth could be watching. Zack was not allowed to call him a lying whore and then leave him. His entire life was crashing down around him, and if he could save even a scrap of it he would. 

Zack looked over his shoulder, shaking his head. “We weren’t together.” 

“Right,” Cloud agreed. “We weren’t, because you were too scared to take me during my heat.” 

“Forgive me for not wanting to fuck your brains out when you weren’t coherrant. How terrible of me,” Zack mocked right back. 

“It was!” Cloud shot back. “I had no idea what was happening to me, and I was still there for you! I know I made you go into rut, and I’m sorry, but I didn’t know!” 

“How did you not know!?” Zack yelled, gesturing around. “What is this, Cloud? Why are we here trying to help you find answers in a town you never lived in?” 

“I did!” Cloud snapped, pointing towards the mansion. “There! I lived there...and I don’t know why. I have no answers for you!” Cloud stepped forward. “Every last sense in my body is drawing me to Sephiroth. Hojo is pushing me towards Sephiroth, but I’m standing in front of you. If that means nothing to you, then I guess I release you from the torment of having to deal with my shattered existence.” 

He pushed passed Zack, making sure he was at least not facing him before the tears began to pour down his cheeks as his stomach cramped. He didn’t need them. He needed to focus on what was happening to him. He needed to focus on the fact that his entire existence had been a lie, and the answers were in a Shinra mansion. 

Cloud wiped furiously at his eyes as he finally got the gate, not surprised to find it locked. His mouth pressed into a hard line as his stubborn hurt overtook reason as he began to climb, swinging up over the top of the fence as he eyed the mansion warily. 

He knew this place. Hojo may have blocked his memories, but he recognized it. Tifa had said she had seen a boy that looked like him out in the yard. Had he played out here? Had he drawn on the sidewalks, and bounced a ball? Had he dreamed about being a SOLDIER out here?

A grunt coming from behind him made him look back, letting out a sigh of relief as he saw Zack had also jumped the fence. “You’re coming?” 

Zack sighed, shrugging both of his shoulders in defeat. “Hell Spike, you know I’m not going to make you do this alone. This doesn’t mean we’re fine though, but...I’m here for you.” 

“Thank you,” Cloud breathed, not realizing how grateful he was to not be alone after pushing both of them away. “Do you know how to pick a lock?” 

The SOLDIER gave a laugh. “Yeah, picked a few in my time. Don’t worry, I’ll show you. Never going to get into SOLDIER if you don’t know how to do a simple breaking and entering.” 

“Prefer bacon and eggs.” He rubbed at his stomach. “I’m starving actually. Do you think Shinra stocked up the fridge?”

Zack pulled out a lock picking kit, leaning down as he began to work on the lock. “Spike, I don’t think Shinra’s been here for a long time.” He frowned at the door, reaching out before he began to work on the lock. “It’s open…” He pushed open the door, and Cloud held his breath in dread of what could be on the other side. 

He needn’t have worried. The only thing on the other side of the door was a dusty mansion. They stepped inside to find the lights already on as Cloud spun around to look at the enormous chandelier. 

“Sephiroth,” he spoke, because the SOLDIER had to have already decided to go in. “I wonder where he is?” 

“Wherever it is,” Zack murmured. “I hope he’s having a shitty time.” They headed through the entryway and up the stairs. “Does any of this look familiar?” 

Cloud shook his head. “Whatever Hojo did, he wiped it all.” He debated the next part. “He told me it was my idea the last time I was in his lab.”

Zack raised an eyebrow as he looked back. “I take it that’s not a rare occurrence?” 

He shrugged in reply. “What do you want me to say, Zack? Obviously I don’t know the answer. That’s why we’re here.” 

“Right,” Zack agreed. “That’s why we’re here.” They walked up the stairs, heading down the hallway and towards the bedrooms. “So, guess you’re taking me home to your house? It’s a big step.” 

Cloud gave a shaky laugh, knowing Zack was just trying to make him feel better, even though he was furious. “Yeah? Well if I ever remember who my parents are, I’ll be sure to introduce you.” 

“I’ll try to make a good impression,” Zack assured him with a lopsided grin. 

“Like you could ever make a bad one?” he asked right back. “Everyone loves you.” 

“And I don’t even secrete fuck me juice,” Zack replied, causing Cloud to stop and stare. The SOLDIER stopped as well, turning to him with a grin. “Relax, I was just joking.” He held out his hand in a sign of peace. “We’ll figure this out, okay?” 

Cloud reached out to take the hand, squeezing in relief as he was pulled into a hug. He shuttered out his anxiety as he wrapped his arms around Zack’s neck, pulling him closer. “I’m so sorry,” he stressed. “I’m so sorry. I won’t do it again. I won’t.” He looked up at Zack. “I adore you...I love you so much. You can bite me. You can.” 

“Ssshhh,” Zack stressed. “Relax.” He rubbed his back. “We’ll be okay. Let’s just focus on this right now. Where do you think Sephiroth went?” 

Cloud motioned towards the bedroom ahead. “Only one way, right?” 

Zack raised their joined hands, kissing Cloud’s knuckles before pulling him forward. In the bedroom they found a passage open in the wall, and Cloud’s heart immediately began to pound with anxiety as his head flashed back to the stairs. 

He yanked his hand away as he backed away from the passage, memories flashing into his head of him running up and down those steps. “Zack...what if we find something bad?” They would. If they went down there, they would find something bad. 

The SOLDIER stared down towards the steps, before looking back. “We might, but it’s okay. We’ll be together.” 

“Do you promise?” Cloud asked. “Do you promise we’ll always be together?” 

“Spike,” Zack started. “I’d spend the rest of my life with you if you only asked. Don’t you know that by now?” He motioned towards the stairs. “Come on. Just think of it as a haunted house. It may be scary, but it can’t hurt you.” 

Cloud nodded, following after Zack as they headed into the basement. He didn’t completely believe the sentiment. He was sure whatever was at the bottom of the steps could very much hurt him, but they had already come this far. There was no going back to Midgar without finding the answers.  
They descended the steps, and the knot in Cloud’s stomach just continued to grow as they entered a hallway. “Why do they have this place?” 

Zack shook his head, leading the way as they followed the sound of voices. “I don’t know, babe. The Shinra science department has never made sense to me. Suppose that would be because they turned me into a monster, and so I’ve always had a bit of a chip on my shoulder when it comes to them.” He motioned around. “But creepy murder dungeon definitely takes the cake.” 

“Who do you think he’s talking to?” Cloud asked as the voices continued. As they rounded the corner he froze as he recognized Hojo. Had he found them? Did he already know they were coming? 

Cold dread washed down his spine as they came around the corner, and found Sephiroth standing in front of the door to an open room, watching something. He turned when he heard them, eyes widening as they landed on Cloud. 

“Get him out of here!” Sephiroth barked, teeth sharp and pointed as his face was a mask of rage. “Now!” 

“What?” Cloud asked, confused. “What are you looking at?” He pushed passed Zack before he could help himself, shoving Sephiroth to look into the room, getting only a glance of it before Sephiroth grabbed him around the waist and yanked him back, but it was enough. 

It was a white washed bedroom. A bedroom with Sephiroth’s poster on the wall, and laboratory photos pinned of testing. He was featured in all of them. It was showing him in a progression of ages, with more and more horrifying experiments being done in each. They were pinned to the wall as if to be a reminder of what he was. 

Cloud fought against Sephiroth’s hold, needing to get a better view as he turned his head to the monitor playing a video. Hojo was in the video, leaning down in front of his five year old self. 

“Specimen CLD17 is progressing nicely. I have injected him with his daily dose of pheromones. I’ve begun mixing them with the pheromones drawn from Sephiroth. With any luck, the imprint will take hold before the specimen hits puberty. Then we will be able to see how much control he has over other Alphas. Sephiroth is the obvious place to start.” 

“Professor?” Cloud watched his younger self ask, smiling as he came over. “You promised I could go outside today. Can we?”

Hojo stared down at him in amusement. “Tomorrow Cloud. It’s too late to go out today.” 

“But you always say that!” Cloud pleaded. “You always say tomorrow!” 

“This time I mean it,” Hojo assured him, watching Cloud go back to his room to play before turning back to the monitor. “He’s stubborn, that child. He must get that part from my genes.” 

Cloud stared wide-eyed at the screen as realization took hold that he had not only been imprinted on Sephiroth for control, but had been raised in a laboratory, and that Hojo was...Hojo was his… His eyes rolled to the back of his head, not able to finish that thought as he collapsed backwards into the alpha’s arms. 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to update as quickly as possible! Not only because it helps me keep my mind off of what's happening, but hopefully it helps you all with a bit of Escapism as well! Animal Crossing is also doing wonders.


	12. Your Protection

Chapter 12: Your Protection

Cobalt blue eyes opened, smiling faintly to see Zack’s sleeping face. He rolled closer, assuming they were at Zack’s place due to the spaciousness of the bed. His fingers pressed underneath the black sweater, sighing at the warmth as he buried his face under his alpha’s chin. His fingers spanned over his abs, scratching playfully along them as he began to kiss underneath his jaw. 

Zack stiffened against his hands and rolled away and out of the bed. “Sorry, I was just exhausted...and didn’t want to sleep in the chair.” 

Cloud rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, not quite comprehending what he was saying yet. “Why would you sleep in the…” Memories hit him like a ton of bricks as he remembered where he was, and what they had found in the basement. He covered his mouth as a wave of nausea rolled through him, and he looked around to see that they were sleeping in a musty bed in the mansion. “Fuck…” he managed, panic welling up inside him as all he could hear were Hojo’s words over and over again. 

The SOLDIER’s face was pained, looking like he was warring with himself on backing up or walking closer. “It’s okay Cloud, we’ll figure it out.” 

Cloud. In all the time he had known Zack, he had called him by his name maybe only one or two times. It spoke volumes. “Which part?” he managed, curling his knees up to his chin. “The part where the person you despise most in the world is my father, or the part where I was genetically designed to want to fuck your best friend?” 

Zack flinched, and looked away from him, but not before Cloud saw the pain flash in his face. “Both parts, I suppose.” He rubbed at his dark spikes. “What did you want me to say, exactly? That I was happy by what we saw in the basement? That I’m not positively crawling out of my skin just looking at you?”

It was Cloud’s turn to flinch, clutching tighter at his knees. “I didn’t know.” 

“Of course you knew,” Zack started. “Of course you did, Cloud. You may not remember, but you were cherry picked to go to training academy and run into Sephiroth’s path.” He grinned sardonically, anger plain on his face. “Yet, you ran into me instead.” 

“Yes!” Cloud snapped. “I ran into you instead! Does that mean nothing?” 

Zack shrugged. “It means something. It means I got to break you in first for your alpha.” 

It was worse than any punch could be. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, self-loathing filling him to the core as he saw how much he repulsed the man he was in love with. “Fuck destiny,” Cloud managed. “Fuck genetics.” He stood up. “Fuck Hojo. Fuck Sephiroth.” He glowered at Zack, grabbing for his shoes as he slipped them on. “And fuck you.” 

“You’re going the wrong way,” Zack called after him as he walked towards the hallway. “Sephiroth’s in the basement.” He froze, looking back at the bitterness on the normally jovial face. 

“What’s he doing in the basement?” he questioned, ignoring the jibe of him just wanting to get to Sephiroth, for fear of what the other was doing around his forgotten childhood. 

Zack sighed, rubbing his face in exhaustion as the sadness came back to his face. “What do you imagine, Cloud? You ever know Sephiroth to leave something lie once it’s caught his curiosity?” 

“Why didn’t you go?” Cloud questioned. “Weren’t curious?” 

The SOLDIER gave an audible sigh, shaking his head. “What do you want me to say, Spike? Turns out, I’m still just a gullible idiot who wanted to make sure you didn’t wake up alone.” Zack rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Did Hojo tell you to sleep with me?” he asked in pained frustration. “Did he? Is it on those tapes Sephiroth is pouring through? Was this all a fucking game?” 

“Maybe,” Cloud murmured, not knowing what else to say. “I don’t remember, so maybe? I don’t remember, Zack. I could have been a terrible person. I could have planned all of this, but I don’t remember. I’m the person I have always been with you!” 

“And with Sephiroth?” Zack asked. “Who were you with him? Were you the same person who told me you loved me? Were you the same person who I became friends with a year ago?” 

“No,” He had never been the same with Sephiroth as he had been with Zack. “It’s always been different. If this was all a plan, then don’t you think you wouldn’t have been in the equation, Zack?” 

“You’re Hojo’s son,” he accused, disgust thick in his voice. “You’re his son, Cloud! He made me this way!”

“I have his DNA according to that video, but I am not his son,” Cloud bit out. “As to how he made you, I’ve never thought anything was wrong with you Zack, so why do you hate yourself so much?” 

“I wasn’t given a choice! I wasn’t told about the consequences!” Zack screamed. 

“Neither was I!” Cloud countered. “I understand though. I understand you hating me. I understand that we’re over. But don’t hate yourself Zack, you may not be entirely human, but you have more humanity than anyone I’ve ever met.” 

Zack rubbed at his face, taking a deep breath as he looked up towards the ceiling in thought, and just for a moment, Cloud had hope. He thought maybe his alpha would forgive him, but then he shook his head in disgust. “I can’t, I’m sorry,” he managed, before turning and walking out. 

Cloud tried to keep it together as he heard the door to the mansion slam shut, stomach heaving as he tried to hold in his breath to stop the sobs. Why had he come here? Why had he come to this awful place with both of them? What compelled him to want to return to a laboratory he was raised in like a science experiment? 

Why had Hojo done this to him? Why had he fathered him, and then whored him out to an alpha? None of it made sense. None of it made the demons in his head any less loud as he considered what he had done to both Zack and Sephiroth under that madman’s orders. 

He gripped at his head, trying to quell the panic attack rising within his body. The stress was almost too much to bear as he sank to his knees. Was he playing into the scientist’s hands even now? How far had his life been puppeted? What else would he find down in that room...on those tapes?

His stomach ached as he pushed himself shakily to his feet, heading towards that passageway as he stumbled down the stairs. What did it mean that Sephiroth’s pheromones were implanted in him? Attraction...sure...but what else? What were they to each other? 

How many times had he walked down these stairs in his life? He leaned against the stone walls, feeling like his body weighed 500 pounds as he struggled to not collapse under the strain. He heard the same voices that he had the last time he had come down here, but he knew this time that they were from the past. 

His past. 

Cloud’s face was a hollow mask as he took in Sephiroth pacing through the basement. Countless files were spread across the room, and Hojo’s tapes were playing in the background. His numb mind took in his teenage form as Hojo was drawing blood on an exam table. 

“Read any good books lately?” he asked, voice barely above a tremble as he stepped closer. Sephiroth had yet to look up, flipping through more pages. Cloud glanced over to the screen, and to his disgust and horror, Hojo was performing a pelvic exam. “Sephiroth?” He still didn’t look up or reply, so Cloud went over to the monitor and shut off the horrors on the screen. 

The SOLDIER did look up at that, eyes intense and focused as they narrowed in on him for the first time. “Cloud,” the voice was a bitter purr. “Don’t like to watch your childhood footage?” 

His hand fell numbly from the screen, traveling to his stomach as he watched him. “Do you have answers now?”

Sephiroth watched him, brow raised. “You could say that. Not all of them though. I think I know where to find them.” His eyes were hard slits of aqua as he watched him. “How are you feeling? 

Cloud gave a sardonic grin. “I literally took a grenade to my life a few hours ago, so, not great.” His hand rubbed his stomach as the sickness crept up, Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed in on his hand. “What was on the tapes?” 

“Answers about you and me,” Sephiroth spoke. “About why I’m drawn to you, and yet, not all the answers.” 

Cloud nodded, too exhausted and numb to fight. Not like he had done with Zack. When his alpha had walked out on him, he had lost all of his will to continue the struggle. “Do you hate me then? All these horrible things I did to you both...I understand it.” 

“Do you?” Sephiroth questioned. “Because I don’t think you even know what you did. I’ve gone through the research. I know what he did to your mind. I also know it was because you asked him to.” 

“What?” he questioned, voice hollow as his mind was threatening to shut down. 

“You wanted to be normal. You begged him. He taped all your sessions when he was in Nibelheim and not in Midgar. Suppose it was his way of giving you a gift.” Sephiroth shrugged. “Or it was another experiment in his mind.” Those cat-like eyes watched him. “A way to see if the pheromones he had injected into you worked. If without knowing who you were meant to be with, you somehow found your way there.” 

“To you?” Cloud questioned. “He must have been so disappointed in me.” 

“Because of Zack?” Sephiroth questioned. “Don’t worry. Think that problem has taken care of itself, don’t you?” Those eyes hardened. “Or did he welcome you in with open arms when you woke up?” 

“He just needs time,” he supplied, not knowing if it was true. “Or he doesn’t...what does it matter anymore?” What did anything matter after what he had found out? “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” 

“What are you apologizing for?” Sephiroth questioned, setting the file down as he walked closer. “Do you think you’ve wronged me in some way?” He came closer, grabbing his chin as he dragged it up to look at him. “You were made for me.”

“I was made,” Cloud agreed, eyes bleary as he looked up towards Sephiroth. “It’s all a lie. That’s why I’m sorry. You deserve better than to be Hojo’s experiment.” 

“And you?” Sephiroth questioned, turning his hand to stroke down the side of his face. “Do you deserve better?” 

Cloud opened his mouth to answer, but the sorrow and overwhelming anxiety consumed him as he broke down instead. His entire body shuddered, before he gave in and collapsed against the tall SOLDIER. Sephiroth reacted immediately, leaning down to grab at the back of his legs as Cloud clung to him as he was lifted, hugging tighter around his neck as he buried his face into his neck. 

Sephiroth’s arms wrapped around him as his legs clung around that waist. Cloud inhaled the comforting scent as he was carried into his room. The SOLDIER sank down on the bed, rubbing Cloud’s back in comfort as he did everything possible not to cry as he grieved coming here and losing Zack. 

Lips pressed to the top of his hair, and the nausea that had been plaguing him since getting into that truck finally started to lessen. “I messed up everything. I messed up your lives.” He couldn’t bring himself to pull away and see the disgust in those eerie eyes. “I’ll go. I’ll disappear, and you both can go back to normal before I decided to ruin your friendship.” 

He knitted his eyebrows as Sephiroth’s chest rumbled in laughter, pulling him back to look into his face. “Cloud, you’re not going anywhere. I understand that you’ve had a lot to process today, but you’re going to have more before the end. Given the choice between Zachary’s friendship, or getting to have you...I’d choose you.” 

Cloud’s lip curled in anger at the slight, eyes flashing as he opened his mouth to respond on how wrong Sephiroth was. 

“Stop it,” Sephiroth snapped. “You don’t understand. Of course I don’t want to lose him as a friend. Of course I’m aware of what I would be missing, but I found you. I found my other half...my omega...the person carrying my child.” 

The bottom dropped out of Cloud’s stomach at the words, feeling like he was punched as he watched Sephiroth with wide eyes. “What?” 

“I told you,” Sephiroth responded, hand swiping through blond spikes as he kept their eyes locked. “Your smell has changed.” 

Cloud scrambled back and off that lap, feeling sick almost immediately again as he grabbed for his stomach. “What are you saying!?” he all but yelled. “Stop it. It’s not a joke!” 

Sephiroth grinned at him. “I’m really not laughing.” 

“You’re lying!” he snapped at him. “You’re crazy from whatever you might have seen in Hojo’s notes and you’re lying!” It couldn’t be true. His mind flashed to the basement in the Wutai. He remembered the notes about breeding omegas. He couldn’t be...he couldn’t even think the word. He felt his mind begin to crack around the edges, grasping for any sanity he could hold onto. 

Sephiroth growled, and Cloud felt his knees tremble with the need to obey. “Relax. You’re going to have a panic attack.” 

“I don’t care!” Cloud screamed at him. “I don’t care about anything anymore!” He wanted to go back. He wanted to go back to the village in Wutai when it had just been him and Zack...and before any of this had ever happened. But he had been the one to go to Sephiroth. He had been the one to take that knot inside him. He had been the one to press the issue. It was all his fault. It was always his fault. He still wanted them both. He still needed them both. 

He wished he had never met them. 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth started placatingly, as if he were talking to a wild animal. “It’ll be okay. I can just test your blood and we can find out.” 

Blue eyes burned with rage at the suggestion. “Nobody is pricking me with another needle. Nobody is bringing me to another exam table. Nobody is experimenting on me ever again!” 

Cloud ripped at the walls of the room he was in, tearing down the images of him on the exam table. He stormed out, swiping his arms across the tables as the book and files Sephiroth had been pouring over slammed into the wall, scattering all over the floor. 

His eyes locked on a tank of green liquid, flashing with rage for what may have occurred in them as he grabbed for a chair, throwing it into the glass as it shattered. Mako liquid gushed out across him, soaking him and ruining all of the research he had thrown onto the floor. 

He screamed in rage as he was grabbed from behind, the mako burning into his skin as he fought against his captor, scratching wildly at his arms. He vaguely noticed the arms weren’t wrapped in the leather jacket Sephiroth was wearing, but were rather clad in a dark suit. 

“Let go!” he screeched, feeling his sanity begin to shudder inside his mind yet again. The mako was beginning to burn through his skin as he was dragged away from the wreckage. 

“Put him down,” he heard Sephiroth hiss, and he caught sight of the SOLDIER staring in worry across from him before a needle was shoved into his neck, and he felt his entire body go slack as a haze washed over him. 

His body was numb as he was lifted up, his head lolling back in sedation as he stared at the person holding him. He saw long dark hair, and crimson eyes that were slitted in the same way Sephiroth’s were. 

“I won’t tell you to put him down again,” Sephiroth growled, but Cloud couldn’t draw his eyes away from the face that was so very much like the alpha’s...if you had aged him a few decades. The rage had been replaced with sedation, not able to do more than blink as the liquid continued to burn his flesh. 

“Do you want him to get third degree burns?” the man questioned angrily, carrying him over to the emergency wash station, and Cloud gasped as water began to spray down upon them both. 

He coughed and sputtered as the warm water washed the chemical off him, turning his face to the side to gasp for breath. 

“S-stop…” he managed in a drugged haze as he was dragged away from the shower and carried back to the bed to be laid down. He blinked, brain in a fog as he watched the stranger round on Sephiroth. 

“What were you thinking bringing him here?” the man bit out. “You’re meant to be a genius, yet you bring your mate to this place?” 

Sephiroth watched him with narrowed eyes, and Cloud saw his fingers inching towards his sword. “Who are you?” 

“Vincent Valentine,” the man spoke. “No need to introduce yourself. I’m well aware of who you are.” 

“Vincent Valentine?” Sephiroth questioned. “The Turk?” 

Vincent nodded to him. “So they say. Cloud was not meant to come back here. When Hojo wiped his mind, he wiped this place. You’re going to break him.” 

“Who are you to Hojo?” Sephiroth asked, suspicion strong in his tone. 

The turk scoffed in disgust. “It’s complicated. He has something of mine. Until he gives it back, I must do what he asks.” 

“Blackmail?” 

Cloud’s eyelids were getting heavy as he fought to stay awake. 

“Something like that. You need to take him and the Alpha and go. It’s not safe for you to be here.” 

“I’m not going anywhere until I go to the reactor,” Sephiroth disagreed. “I read about…”

“Yes,” Vincent interrupted. “You read. Reading is nothing compared to actually seeing it.” He motioned to Cloud. “It’ll break him.”

“He’s strong,” Sephiroth argued. 

“It’ll break you!” Vincent barked at him. 

“I can handle it,” he argued again, and Vincent gave the same smirk he had seen multiple times on Sephiroth’s face. 

“No,” Vincent assured him. “You really can’t, but if there’s no stopping you, then I’ll take you.” 

Vincent leaned down in front of him, and Cloud struggled to remain conscious as he saw how his teeth seemed to be sharper than normal. “Don’t I know you, mister?” he asked, his tongue weighted in his mouth as flashes of memory of a man talking to him...teaching him to read...tucking him in filled his head. 

The turk reached out to swipe spikes away from his forehead. “Cloud, you know he’s going to make you pay for this. I can’t protect you if I don’t know the mistakes you’re making.” 

“I’ll always protect you,” Cloud repeated, hearing the words in his mind. 

“Sleep,” was the command, and Cloud’s eyes slid shut almost instantly. 

“Start talking.” He heard Sephiroth bite out, but couldn’t focus on anything beyond the haze of his mind, and how for just a few moments he wanted everything to stop. 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,


	13. Staring Into the Abyss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I am almost at Wallmarket in FF7r. Loving it so far! ...Do a massive eye roll, however, every time Cloud tells someone he's a SOLDIER. 
> 
> like no honey...no...no you're not.

Chapter 13: Staring into the Abyss

Zack sighed as he watched Cloud’s eyelids flutter in the sleep that the Turk had put him into. Guilt ate away at him as he considered their fight, and how he had pushed this to happen by pushing him away. He couldn’t handle the thought that the one thing he had ever wanted his entire life was about to be taken away from him. Nevermind the fact that he been responsible for most of the sabotage himself. 

It wasn’t what Cloud was. He adored everything about his Omega. It wasn’t who his father was. Though the second he saw Hojo he would be sure to drive a sword through his spine. It was who he was supposed to be with. 

Sephiroth. Sephiroth had never had anything in his entire life. Of course he had fame. He was sure there were probably plenty of women as well—or as turns out men apparently. Not that he was one to judge, what with the love of his life having similar qualities. Sephiroth had always been alone. He had been Shinra’s lab rat his entire life. Genesis had been the first to step up and show Sephiroth friendship, but Genesis was his own demon, and sometimes brought out the worst in the SOLDIER. He had tried to chip away at the diamond shell surrounding the man. He had tried to get to know him. 

...and Sephiroth had paid him in kind by fucking his boyfriend. 

He couldn’t even hate him for it. Zack understood, of course he did. He wasn’t even compelled to want Cloud by the production of pheromones, and he couldn’t stay away from the blond. The need to stab that mad scientist returned as he swept a stray spike away from Cloud’s face as those impossibly blue eyes fluttered open. 

Sadness filled their depths the instant they landed on him, and panic seemed to overtake him. “Zack…” was whispered almost desperately. “I’m sorry.” 

His heart ached at the plea in that tone, and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning down and pressing his lips to his forehead. Zack smiled as arms immediately wrapped around his neck, pulling him down close. Cloud clung to him, and Zack shuttered as he allowed himself to bury his face in the scent of his neck. 

“I’m sorry, Spike. I should have been there.” He kissed along his neck. “I know you’re hurting. Vincent told Sephiroth he gave you something to sleep.” 

“Vincent?” Cloud questioned, fingers fisting in his hair, pulling him up to meet his eyes. “The man who grabbed me? 

Zack nodded. “He’s a Turk...or maybe ex-Turk. I didn’t ask too many details,” he admitted, shifting to lay his weight on top of the other. “I just wanted to get to you.” 

“Why?” Cloud questioned, fingers flexing in his hair. “After what I did, why would you?” 

Zack shrugged, hands reaching down to trace up Cloud’s hip. “Glutton for punishment I guess.” He smiled down at him, thumb swiping at the tear that fell from those blue eyes. “Babe I…”

He was cut off as Cloud’s fingers tightened and yanked him down to his mouth. Zack melted the instant their lips touched, and his senses screamed at him as that scent of arousal filled the air. He drowned in it, senses on overdrive as he deepened the kiss. Zack succumbed to the need...want...breathe...love...fuck...breed...that was even touching Cloud. 

The first time he had experienced it he had nearly gone mad. In fact, he thought he had for a short time-being. The first time he had let himself succumb to it he had ended up knotting the petite blond like some animal. 

Since then he had learned to control the need. To prevent himself from succumbing to his nature, but every time that smell filled his nostrils he felt like a shark in chum water. Cloud shuttered against him, and a new wave of that smell washed over him. Zack watched his own irises extending across his sclera as he felt his teeth turn sharp in the reflection of those blue eyes. 

His tongue pushed into his mouth, tasting that need as he didn’t want to think about Hojo, or Sephiroth. Zack just wanted it to go back to the way things were. When he was trailing after Cloud after his classes. When he was bringing him coffee. When he didn’t know anything about heats or Omegas. 

Cloud’s fingers pushed desperately down between them, and Zack nipped along his chin as fingers pushed down his zipper. Thin hips lifted as Zack grabbed at the waistband of his pants, pulling them down passed his hips before kissing him again. 

“I missed you,” Zack managed, cupping Cloud’s face as he kissed him, fingers going between the other’s legs and moaning at the wetness he found already coating his thighs. 

Cloud nodded in agreement, hands trailing down his back and pulling him closer. “We can do it,” he told him. 

Zack smiled down at him, biting back a moan as a hand wrapped around his cock. “Yeah Spike, figured that was kind of the point.” 

The blond smiled at him, kissing him as his strokes sped up. “I meant...I meant….” Zack shut his eyes in pleasure as a thumb slid along the slit. “Mate.” 

A possessive growl ripped through his chest at that, and Cloud’s scent shifted to one of nervous fear. “What does that mean for you?” Zack questioned, pulling back. “Because...you know…” He tried to stammer out, hard to do with how his hard cock was now sliding against the Omegas sloppy thighs. 

Cloud clung to him at that, legs spreading as he pulled him close. “I know,” he said. “I know what it would mean. It doesn’t matter what I should have been. It matters that I found you.” Cloud shifted, and the SOLDIER moaned as the tip of his cock pressed against that wetness. “Take the decision away.” 

It was like ice water had been poured down his back. He felt his teeth retract as he forced himself out of the overwhelming need that was his scent...his very being. Pain overwhelmed his senses as he stiffened against the blond. 

“No…” Cloud begged, obviously sensing the hesitation. “Zack, whatever you’re thinking. I didn’t mean it like that. Please just….” He hurt for him as Cloud was obviously in pain. 

“It’s not me baby,” he breathed, feeling a tear slide down his cheek as he shakily kissed him, reaching between them to draw Cloud’s hand away from his trembling member, painfully hard by this point even as his world was crashing around him. “I wish it was.” He had never been the real choice.

Pain actually etched through his spine as his Alpha senses were screaming at him to rut Cloud into the bed as he pulled back and yanked up his pants. 

“No,” Cloud demanded, a tremble of pain in his tone as he sat up, but Zack backed away off the bed before he could grab for him. “No. I chose you. I always chose you.” 

Zack shut his eyes, wanting to take back what he had said the moment it left his mouth. But he couldn’t. How could he when he knew just what was at stake? He was Sephiroth’s other half. He would complete the man, and give at least one of them some scrap of happiness and peace. Some sense of belonging. “I know you did Spike. But…” 

“No!” Cloud screamed at him, standing up as he yanked up his pants. “You don’t get to do this to me. I told you that I wanted you.” 

He wanted Cloud. 

He loved him. 

He ached for him every moment of the day. 

He was his soulmate...regardless of whether or not he was actually Sephiroth’s. 

“I know you do, Cloud.” He practically choked on the words. “But I don’t want you...not anymore.” The lies flowed through his lips like water, and he struggled not to choke on them. “He had you.” Cloud would never leave him. He would stay out of obligation, and end up hurting so much more in the long run. “You’re defective.” He didn’t want Cloud to hurt. He didn’t want Sephiroth to hurt. 

He just wanted to be the love of his life’s hero. 

“I’m not defective,” Cloud argued, and Zack struggled with the need to tell him that he was perfect. That he was everything he ever wanted. “You’re being cruel. Why?” Cloud questioned, always the intuitive trooper. “Because of him? Your friend?” 

“You’re my friend,” Zack argued. “I will always be there for you. I’ll help you through this.” 

“Yeah?” Cloud asked. “Well he told me I’m pregnant,” he murmured, and Zack felt like the floor had dropped out from underneath him. “So how are you going to help with that?” 

“Pregnant?” Zack’s mind was reeling, not able to process what he was hearing as he just wanted to go back to Wutai. He wanted to go back to the Shinra dorms where they would eat popcorn and study for Cloud’s materia finals. 

He wanted to have never come to this god forsaken town. 

Zack felt numb as he watched the pain on his lover’s face. “Is it mine?” 

Cloud’s mouth set in a stern frown. “He seems to think it’s his, but then again...he thinks a lot of things are his.” His hand went to his belly, and Zack’s hand hyper focused in on it, inhaling deeply as he realized the way the blond’s scent had changed. It was earthier, like rosemary and lavender.

“Were you...tested?” His mind was trying to wrap around what this could mean. He had been with Cloud so many times. They hadn’t used protection...but why would they?

“I don’t think so, but I’ve spent the last couple days in various states of unconsciousness, so who knows.” Cloud shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t even know if it’s true.” He stepped closer. “Is what you said true? Do you just want to be friends?” 

He’d take what he could get. He’d sacrifice if it meant Cloud would be happy. 

“You don’t want to be my friend?” he found himself asking, voice hollow as he couldn’t take his eyes off the trooper’s stomach. 

Cloud’s eyes were hard, following his gaze. “We’re not going to be friends, Zack. But I won’t fight you if you don’t want to be with me. I can see I’m making you miserable.” 

“You don’t make me miserable,” Zack denied. “And if it’s our baby...that’s such a weird statement.” Zack gave a shaky laugh. 

“If it’s our baby, what?” Cloud questioned. “You’ll be with me?” He asked. 

“Of course I’ll be with you,” Zack said without hesitation, not imagining a world without him. 

“Then it’s yours,” Cloud stated, shaking his head. “It’s yours.” He walked forward, and Zack grunted as he was shoved against the wall. “If it exists...then it’s yours. You idiot.” 

Cloud lunged towards him, and Zack caught him mid leap as those legs wrapped around him, slamming him up against the wall as they kissed. 

Zack kissed him roughly, losing all sense of reason as he became lost in the pulse that Cloud seemed to send out. He worked frantically at his pants, yanking them back down before swallowing up those cries of need. 

Somehow he managed to get his pants down enough to position himself as they kissed, pushing into that ungodly heat and wetness as he threw his head back as his teeth elongated again. 

He fucked him up against the wall, feeling like he was losing his mind as he thrust into that wetness. Cloud’s legs tightened around him as he pounded into the body that was made for him, regardless of who it actually was made for. 

“I love you,” he managed, swallowing up the cries of pleasure as his hands came up under those hips to hoist him up higher to get the angle as they kissed. 

Cloud threw his head back, and Zack used the opportunity to kiss along that perfect jaw, feeling that overwhelming need filling him that always did when he was with Cloud. That need that he always fought against to his core. 

“Do it,” Cloud managed, and Zack’s eyes were wild when he met blue as his Omega’s eyes were practically glowing. Cloud screamed as thrust hard inside him, and Zack felt pleasure he had rarely felt before as he cock swelled and he felt his need push inside the other, and at the same time Cloud’s dull teeth latched onto his neck and bit hard. 

A growl ripped through his chest as the bite shocked his very system, and his hands ripped at the blond spikes that refused to relent as he came inside him to the point he wanted to pass out. He felt a stickiness on his stomach as Cloud came over and over again just as he leaned down to bite. 

The unsheathing sound was his first warning before the steel was pressed against his throat. A hand fisted in his hair and yanked back as a growl reverberated through the air. “Bite him, and I’ll slit your throat from ear to ear.” 

Sephiroth.

The voice was practically inhuman in its rage, and Zack grunted as he was yanked back hard, his knot ripping out of Cloud and causing the other to scream in pain. Zack reacted, pants halfway down as he pulled them up, spinning at the same time as he came down with a kick towards Sephiroth’s face, sending him flying through the wall as the pillars in the mansion began to quake. 

His neck was bleeding, and he felt high in a way he never had before as endorphins raced through his blood. He should be with Cloud basking in what they had just done...whatever they had just done. 

“What are you doing here?” Zack growled right back, feeling his mind begin to be takem back over by the rage he had felt with Genesis in Wutai. 

“What am I doing here?” Sephiroth questioned, flexing the Masamune as his eyes were glowing aqua. “What did you think? That after he woke up after having to be drugged back into sanity that you should fuck him?”

“Sephiroth stop!” Cloud barked, and Zack smelled the blood from being ripped apart from him. 

“He wants me to stop,” Sephiroth said with amusement. “My Omega.” 

“I’m not,” Cloud snapped back. “I’m not. Screw destiny, Sephiroth. Do you want to just be his pawn!?” 

“Why not?” Sephiroth questioned right back, wiping at his bloody lip from Zack’s kick. “I’ve been Shinra’s pawn my entire life.” 

“Sephiroth,” Zack tried. “We’ll figure this out. We don’t have to do this.” 

“Zachary,” Sephiroth started with disgust. “He’s my soulmate...of course we have to do this.” 

Zack shut his eyes, trying to get control of his rage that was telling him to rip out his best friend’s throat. He visibly trembled as he tried to get his body under control. “No, we don’t. We shouldn’t be here. This place is evil.” He opened his eyes, his irises back to normal. “We just have to get him home.” 

“Then what?” Sephiroth questioned. “We do what we did before? I screw him behind your back?” 

He flinched at the thought of them together. He cringed at the prospect of how many times they could have possibly been sneaking around behind his back. “We’ll figure it out. I don’t want to lose you, but I won’t lose him.” 

“I have no qualms about losing you for him, Zachary. You must know it’s inevitable.” Sephiroth explained. “You fight your instincts far too much.” 

“My instincts?” Zack questioned, putting up his hands to fight. “They’re telling me to not let you near him. They’re telling me that we should all run. We should all run and get away from this nightmare Seph!” Zack motioned with his arm. “Come with us! We’ll go!” 

“The only place we’re going is to the reactor.” Sephiroth assured him, cold rage on his face. “Cloud, get dressed. Vincent is going to take us up the mountain.” 

Cloud stood up, wincing in pain, and Zack saw the blood splattered along the floor from where he had unwillingly hurt him. “Who’s Vincent?” he questioned, and Zack could see the way his thighs were trembling at the way Sephiroth hadn’t stopped growling. 

“Why do you ask questions you already know the answers to?” Sephiroth asked back, glancing to Zack. “It’s not his place to know our secrets.” 

“My place?” Zack questioned, voice incredulous. “And what about your place, Seph? You were my friend! You were like a brother to me and you slept with him!” 

“Yes,” Sephiroth admitted without hesitation. He shrugged. “He’s going to be my mate.” 

Zack growled, the red surrounding his vision again as he knew logically he didn’t stand a chance against Sephiroth with a sword. Hell, he would hardly stand a chance against Sephiroth normally. 

“Let’s get one thing straight between us Sephiroth, why don’t we?” Zack question, teeth gritting as another pulse of rage coursed through him. “We may both want him, but it’s ultimately his decision, isn’t it? He’s not your goddamn property.” 

“No,” a voice agreed, and Zack glanced over to see a man with long dark hair dressed in a dark suit. “He isn’t anyone’s property. Stop acting like animals, the both of you.” 

Zack glanced at the obvious Turk, raising an eyebrow. “Vincent I assume?” 

“You assume correct,” Vincent supplied. “Now stop acting like children. With Cloud awake, and Sephiroth so insistent on looking into the abyss, we need to get going now.” 

“What’s at the reactor?” Cloud questioned, and Zack noticed how he was rubbing at his stomach, his face pale and in pain. 

“Hell,” Vincent supplied. “Damnation. Answers I suppose, if you want to prioritize.” 

“We’re going,” Sephiroth stated. 

“Sephiroth,” Zack started. “I don’t know man, setting aside the shit show happening between us...when someone describes a place as hell and damnation it doesn’t really make me want to go.” 

“Are there answers?” Cloud questioned, shrugging. “More answers that is.” 

Vincent hummed an agreement. “Suppose there is. If those are the kinds of answers you want. I’m tired of lying to you, Cloud. If Sephiroth insists, then I will trust his judgement with you.” 

“Why?” Cloud asked, voice sounding hollow and far away. 

“Because he’s your mate,” Vincent supplied. “There’s so much you don’t know. So much that he took away.” 

“Hojo?” Cloud asked, brows furrowed. “How do you know so much about this?” 

“We’re connected,” Vincent answered. “Through our children.” 

A bolt of shock went through him as he looked between Vincent and Sephiroth. “Children, does that mean?” 

“Vincent Valentine,” Hojo’s voice came from the doorway. “You talk too much.” The scientist stepped in surrounded by troopers, and just behind him Genesis and Angeal stood in the doorway. “Boys...you have been naughty.” 

“Hojo...you lied!” Cloud spoke up, and Hojo laughed at the expression. 

“Did I?” he mused. “I suppose I did. But you aren’t exactly innocent, are you Cloud?” He motioned behind him. “Get in the helicopter waiting outside. Get in now, and I won’t take away all of the things you love.” Hojo pressed the glasses up and passed his nose. “Get in now, and I will finally give you those truths you’ve been seeking...my child.” 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,..,


	14. The Long Ride Home

Chapter 14: The Long Ride Home

Cloud looked around the room, glowering at Hojo before his eyes trailed over the two SOLDIERs who had been brought in for backup. Of course, they weren’t a match for Sephiroth, should the Alpha choose to fight for them. Given the fact that he had literally ripped him and Zack apart he knew that was less and less likely. 

If Hojo had brought the two SOLDIERs, how many troopers had come? How outnumbered were they? It occurred to him that he was actually thinking about running from Shinra. He was actually thinking of running from the only dream he had ever known. Would they go with him? Would they abandon this monster who had played puppeteer to their lives? He thought Zack would, his Alpha had said as much. If Hojo hadn’t come in when he had, could they have convinced Sephiroth? Would he join them knowing he couldn’t have him anymore? Zack had taken him back. He needed to put a stop to whatever else was going on. He had to have the courage to stick with his convictions. 

“What’s at the reactor?” Cloud questioned, looking at Hojo as the man stared coldly at him over the rim of his glasses. “Vincent said it would break me. Why would it break me?” 

“Because you have a weak will,” Hojo replied almost instantly, glancing towards Sephiroth. “What was your gameplan here? Did you think by unraveling my work that it would bring the two of you closer?” 

“I can truly state with 100% accuracy, Professor, that unraveling your work was not one of my concerns,” Sephiroth informed him, that icy edge still present in his tone. 

“How could you do this to us?” Zack questioned. “How could you do this to him if he really is your son?” 

Hojo’s shoulders shook with laughter, and Cloud watched as Sephiroth’s hand twitched on the hilt of his sword. “You SOLDIER grunts and your sense of morality. You signed up for everything that happened to you. It was all in the fine print of your contracts.” Hojo glanced first at Sephiroth, and then his eyes landed on Cloud. “Well, most of you did.” 

“What’s at the reactor?” Cloud asked again, hands clenched at his sides as he glowered at the scientist. 

Hojo rolled his eyes, tilting his head to look at him. “It would serve you right if I showed you. Alas, I’m not that cruel.” He looked to Angeal, and then over to Cloud. “Pick him up if you have to. I tire of this town.” 

“Touch him,” Sephiroth hissed coldly towards the SOLDIER. “I dare you.” 

Angeal frowned at him. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I do know you are all outnumbered. He brought an army with him, Sephiroth.” 

“I can fight an army,” Sephiroth assured him, eyes glowing and dangerous.

Hojo laughed at the reply, shoulders shaking as he threw his head back. “Such hubris from my favorite. You remind me of your mother.” 

“Enough!’ Vincent snapped, the quiet calm man lashing out in anger. 

Hojo simply snorted at the attempt. “Well, you certainly don’t remind me of your father,” he sneered. “Let me make this exceedingly simple for the lot of you. If you don’t come with me, I will have to use lethal force.” He grinned at Sephiroth. “Whereas this might not worry you all that much, I do have something that just might. If he is with your child, he’s going to die unless I perform a procedure.” 

Growling filled the room as Cloud looked between both Zack and Sephiroth, both of their scleras extending as cold rage covered their faces. How could he have been so unwanted his entire life, and now could have been lucky enough to be wanted by both of them? What was he doing to them? Whatever danger he was in, he was enslaving them. They would both go back to Shinra, and Hojo would just continue his vicious cycle. 

“I’m not.” Cloud resisted the urge to touch at his aching belly. “I’m not. There’s no reason for any kind of procedure. There’s no reason for them to go with you.” 

Genesis frowned. “Strife...there’s still a reason.” He looked awkwardly from Sephiroth, and then back to him. “Don’t make me fight you.” 

“You’d lose,” Sephiroth stated.

“Think you underestimate me,” Genesis tried, looking uncomfortable. “I think you underestimate just what they’re protecting here.” 

“Your prize,” Sephiroth mocked. “I forgot how easily you’re bought.” 

Genesis glared at him. “Am I? And you? How easily are you bought, Sephiroth?” He motioned to Cloud. “You going to let him be with Zack?” 

Angeal let out a pained sigh. “Genesis, what idiotic thing did you agree to?” 

“He promised you an Omega,” Zack surmised, shock on his face. 

Cloud’s eyes widened in surprise as Genesis avoided his eyes. “You say that like we just grow on trees or something.” 

“Interesting choice of words,” Hojo spoke in amusement. 

“Wh-” Sephiroth started, and Cloud watched his face go blank as he hid his reaction. “We’re going home now. Zachary, help Cloud to the helicopter.” 

“What?” Zack questioned. “You can’t be serious that we’re just going to—”

“Look around you!’ Sephiroth interrupted him. “We’re outnumbered, and if there is something wrong with him, I don’t know anything about fixing an Omega pregnancy. Do you?” 

But that wasn’t why Sephiroth’s demeanor had shifted. He had been ready to fight before. Then a realization had come over him. Something about the omegas. Whatever it had been had been enough to garner a surrender. He wasn’t wrong though. They were outnumbered. This wasn’t the place to stand their ground. 

“I’ll go,” Cloud hesitated as he watched Hojo. “No one gets hurt?” 

Hojo raised an eyebrow. “You have nothing to bargain with.” 

Cloud’s hand pressed to his belly. “I’m asking you. Don’t hurt anyone of them, Vincent included. Will it not be easier for you if I cooperate, rather than fight you the whole time?” 

“You act like I’m not used to that,” Hojo mused, before rolling his eyes. “Fine. Just get in the helicopter. We need to get you in for testing.” 

“Your word,” Cloud bit out. “For whatever that’s worth.” 

Hojo held up two fingers mockingly. “On my honor.” 

Zack scoffed. “Whatever there is of that,” he grabbed Cloud’s hand. “He’s not a guinea pig. We go back with you, he doesn’t get locked up in a lab. He goes back to his classes. We go back to normal.” 

“Hmm,” Hojo mocked, eyeing Zack with amusement. 

“Something I said that was funny?” the Alpha bit out. 

“Quite,” Hojo replied. “Such demands when between the three of you, you’re the only one that’s expendable.” He leaned closer. “In fact, having Angeal over here slice your head in two would actually be doing me many favors.” 

Absolute dread filled him at those words, and Cloud stepped in front of Zack, hands still clasped behind them as he shook his head at the scientist. “I’ll be good.” 

“I don’t need you to sacrifice yourself for me, Spike. I’m not going to let you go back there and be a lab rat. I don’t care that he thinks he has the right.” 

“Zachary,” Angeal spoke as he looked between them. “Stand down. This is not a fight you can win.” He motioned over to Sephiroth. “You lost your back-up.” 

Sephiroth was frowning as he watched the scientist. “Zachary is right. He’ll be allowed to return to his training. I will take full responsibility for what happened here today, and his behavior will reflect on me alone.” 

Hojo began to laugh again at that, actually covering his mouth to try to get himself to stop. “Oh Cloud, how proud you make me sometimes.” He stopped laughing, pushing the glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Depending on how he behaves, I don’t see why he can’t return to his classes. We can just forget this little incident ever happened.” 

“Like hell,” Cloud spoke under his breath. 

“You’ll certainly wish for it before I’m done with you,” Hojo assured him. “I have to clean up this mess.” His narrowed eyes landed on Vincent. “The SOLDIERs will escort you all back to headquarters.” 

Cloud frowned at that. “No one gets hurt. That was what was agreed upon.” 

Hojo frowned, rolling his eyes. “You don’t even know him.” 

“I do!” He didn’t know how, but he did that man. He had been kind to him. Besides, he was Sephiroth’s father. “No one gets hurt. Please.” 

The scientist sneered at him. “You overestimate your importance.” 

“Do I?” Cloud asked him, eyes flickering over to Sephiroth. “Because I don’t think I do.” 

Sephiroth met his gaze, sighing in irritation at what he was implying. “Hojo. Do you want Lieutenant Fair and I to put up a fight?”

“Please say yes,” Zack bit out, and Cloud saw the way his eyes were glowing pools of violet. 

“Fine,” Hojo relented with a sigh of disgust. “Just get in the helicopter.”

Cloud nodded, pulling on Zack’s hand as the SOLDIER was growling in anger. “Zack...this isn’t a fight we can win right now.” The Alpha didn’t budge, eyes fixed upon the scientist. 

“Cloud,” Genesis warned. “Do something.” 

“What do you want me to do?” Cloud asked, right as Zack lunged, pulling his sword off his back and smashing Hojo up against the wall. “Zack!” 

Zack pressed his sword up against his neck, and Cloud could see a bead of blood roll down Hojo’s collar as the bastard was still chuckling. “I should end you. You’ve ruined our lives. You’ve ruined so many lives!” Cloud’s eyes were wide in fear as he glanced between Genesis and Angeal. 

“Seph…” He managed, turning fearful eyes to the General. 

Sephiroth scoffed almost boredly. “We should let him do it. It would serve him right.” 

“Sephiroth!” Angeal bit out. “We take out the head of Shinra’s science department, we’ve got a target on our backs the rest of our very short lives.” 

Hojo laughed at that, causing Zack to press the sword closer. “Why are you laughing? You find the prospect of your own demise so amusing?” 

“Do it,” Hojo bated. “Do it, and watch the one you love die screaming.” 

“I don’t believe anything you say,” Zack assured him. “I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with him.” 

“Just like I’m sure you believe you’ll end up with Cloud in the end.” Hojo mocked. “Just like I’m sure that you’ve convinced yourself that your cells aren’t deteriorating as we speak. Do you know how you fix that, Lieutenant Fair?” The scientist questioned. “Do you know why Genesis has betrayed you all for a chance at it?” 

“What are you implying?” Sephiroth questioned. 

“I’m trying to save all of your lives, and your ungratefulness is starting to wear on me.” He glanced over to Cloud. “Get him off me now, or I’ll have him killed.” 

“Zack,” Cloud tried again, hand reaching out. Panic welled in his gut as he imagined him full of bullet holes because he was defending him. “Alpha,” he spoke instead, making his voice a command as he watched Zack’s spine stiffen. “Alpha...come here.” 

Cloud tried to ignore the way Hojo laughed as Zack pulled away and came back over to him, and he could feel the look of horror from most of the Alphas in the room as he reached up to pet the back of Zack’s spikes as he buried his face in his neck. 

“What are you?” Angeal questioned, voice a mixture of fear and disgust. 

“Magnificent,” Hojo praised. 

“I’m sorry,” Cloud whispered into Zack’s ear, hating himself for showing Hojo this weakness. He held him close, pulling back to look into those betrayed eyes. “Let’s go home, okay? Let’s go home?” 

“Would he have a choice?” Genesis questioned, that same disgust that he had heard in Angeal’s voice echoed. “You promised me a partner, not a master.” 

“I promised you survival,” Hojo corrected. “Doing it on my terms is just something you’re going to have to live with. Key word being, live.” 

Cloud entwined their fingers, dragging Zack’s eyes up to his. “Please.”

Zack raised an eyebrow, and Cloud saw that disgust he felt for him on his face. “You’re asking now?” Cloud flinched at the implication, guilt eating away from him as the SOLDIER turned back to Hojo. “This isn’t over.” He pulled on Cloud, and he followed his Alpha hang dogged out of the mansion. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Sephiroth as he was pulled out. 

Wind whipped at his face as they exited the mansion, and Cloud saw in horror as they were surrounded on all sides by planes packed to the brim in troops. There had to be upwards of 500 troopers from the army. 500 troopers, and two SOLDIERs, were their lives really so valuable that it required such an effort? 

Not theirs he supposed...Sephiroth. 

Shinra couldn’t risk losing him. 

Hojo couldn’t risk losing him. 

They were loaded up into one of the helicopters, automatic rifles pointed at them as they were. Cloud felt too sick to even look up as he slid to the edge. Zack’s thigh pressed up against his as Angeal slid in beside him. Genesis and Sephiroth slid onto the other side across from them. He was just wishing for a hole to open up and swallow him at this point. Anything to not have to look up as the door slid shut. 

They pulled off the ground almost at once, and Hojo must have had the good sense to not press in next to them as they headed out across Nibelheim. He chanced a glance up to Zack, whose mouth was pressed into a hard line, glaring across to where Sephiroth and Genesis sat. 

“Something on your mind, Zachary?” Genesis questioned. “Or are you not able to express thoughts without your boy toy there’s permission?” 

“Just thinking about how you sold your friends down the river for a piece of tail.” Zack snapped. 

“Oh? I did that?” Genesis questioned. “Here I was under the impression that you two almost got us all killed so that you could fuck Hojo’s offspring?” The auburn haired SOLDIER grit his teeth. “Besides, it wasn’t for tail. It was for survival. You see, I happen to enjoy living.” 

“And how do you know you’re dying?” Sephiroth questioned. “Because he told you so?” He scoffed in disgust. “It’s always the same game with him.” 

“It’s not a game,” Genesis snapped back. “I’ve seen my labs. I’ve seen the deterioration of the SOLDIER program.” 

“Indeed,” Sephiroth spoke skeptically, eyes fixed on the window as they flew over the reactor, and Cloud felt a pang in his gut at what secrets may lie inside. 

Angeal sighed, shaking his head as he turned to Zack. “What did you get yourself involved in? Didn’t I tell you to keep your head down?” 

“Sorry Angeal,” Zack spoke, mouth tilting up into a side smirk. “Thing is, he’s worth it.” Cloud’s heart skipped as he turned hopeful eyes over to Zack, letting out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding as he saw that small smile. “This is Cloud by the way, I wanted to introduce you sooner. But well...things never work out the way you plan I guess.” 

Angeal shook his head as he watched them. “I’m aware. You’ve talked about him enough.” 

Cloud blushed at the scrutiny, feeling Sephiroth’s eyes on him as well. It felt like a betrayal. He leaned in to Zack as the other wrapped a hand around his waist, and he couldn’t think about the fact that he had slept with Sephiroth. He couldn’t think about what had happened in that lab, or the fact that he could be carrying a child. He needed to know if they were really sick. He needed to know if he was the cure….whatever that meant. He’d do anything for them. He’d do anything to save them. He just didn’t want to choose which one.   
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.


	15. Your Memories

Chapter 15: Your Memories

“If you keep staring like that your face is going to get stuck that way,” Hojo informed him as Cloud glowered, not fighting as his arm was grabbed and a needle was stuck into his vein. They had gotten back to headquarters days ago, and Hojo had been putting him through a litany of tests ever since his boots had landed on the ground. 

“When can I see Zack?” Cloud asked him, mouth set in a firm line as Hojo shook the blood sample into the anti-coagulation serum. 

“Not Sephiroth?” Hojo asked with a disappointed mock. 

“Did I ask for Sephiroth?” Cloud questioned right back, grunting as he was pushed back on the table and his shirt was pulled up to show his stomach. 

“No,” Hojo agreed with the assessment. “You haven’t been asking, but you talk in your sleep.” 

“You’re lying,” Cloud spat, wincing in discomfort as hands palpated his lower stomach. “When do my test results come back? Women just have to pee on a stick.“

They had gotten back to Midgar, and Cloud had been marched to the 65th floor of headquarters without being able to sort through anything that had happened. He had spent the last few days being poked and prodded, and Hojo had been avoiding any real questions he had tried to get out of him. 

“Your body is a bit more complex than that. But if you would like to pee on a stick, I would be happy to go find one for you.” Hojo assured him. “Zachary Fair is away in Wutai. He wasn’t happy about the assignment if you were wondering, but unlike you, he knows how to listen.” 

“That must be so frustrating for you,” Cloud managed, sarcasm dripping off his tongue, sitting up on the table. 

Hojo rolled his eyes at him. “Must you always be so difficult?” 

“I like to annoy you,” Cloud assured him. 

“Clearly,” Hojo agreed, pushing up his glasses as he stared him down. “You don’t have a child in you. I knew before even bringing you in here, but I felt like you had earned some poking and prodding after the trouble you put me through.” 

The stiff anger slipped from his face, hand coming to his stomach as he felt a pang go through him. A sense of loss that he didn’t think he would be feeling after something he had never planned on filled him. 

Sephiroth had looked so happy though. 

“Don’t worry,” Hojo stated. “I’m sure he’ll understand.” 

“You don’t know me!’ Cloud snapped.

“Right, not all all,” Hojo agreed with a sarcastic lilt. “Do you want to know about your scent? Or are you going to continue to be a brat?” 

“Depends,” Cloud replied. “Which one is going to annoy you more?” 

Hojo had taken the time to explain to him what he had already known. He had been put here as an experiment for the SOLDIERs. He had been the first, but Hojo assured him he wouldn’t be the last. Vincent had been the Turk assigned to his project. He had helped to raise him. When Cloud had questioned if he were Sephiroth’s father, the scientist had chosen not to reply. He hadn’t gotten many answers after that. 

“You slept with him, didn’t you?” Hojo questioned. “You didn’t finish the mating. Your body is calling for it, and it’s making you sick.” 

“I bit Zack,” Cloud countered, trying not to let confused panic fill his face. 

“Yes, you did,” Hojo agreed. “But he didn’t bite you, did he? The only thing you accomplished with that little stunt is to ensure he can never be rid of you, and yet...he can never be with you.” 

“So you keep saying.” Cloud continued to glare, rubbing at his aching stomach. “It’s like a heat,” he mused. 

“Yes,” Hojo agreed. “On suppressants. That’s why it’s so painful. That’s why you’re so sick.” 

“Why can’t he be with me?” What did Hojo know. He knew nothing beyond this experiment he created. He knew nothing about him and Zack. 

“Because he’ll die.” Cloud’s eyes widened at that, horror filling him as he slowly shook his head. 

“You’re lying!” he snapped, because that’s all Hojo did was lie. 

“I’m not.” Hojo grabbed his chin, tilting his blue furious eyes up to him. “I made you for control, that much is true. But I also made you to prevent Shinra’s greatest assets from decaying to dust.” He sighed at the horrified look he was receiving. “The Alpha and the Omega. You can’t have one without the other. Shinra wanted to wipe out all the Omegas, and they succeeded. They created themselves an army so strong they could take over the world. However, there was a problem. The SOLDIERs kept dying. Their body decayed at a cellular level, and they died screaming.” 

“So they brought you in to solve the problem?” Cloud asked, horrifyingly fascinated. 

“They did,” Hojo spoke with pride. “I’m good at solving problems.” 

“Better at creating,” Cloud argued, causing Hojo to shrug. 

“Semantics. It worked out for them all the same. Besides, you were born. You should have a slim bit of gratitude.”

“I have disgust,” Cloud replied with a glare. “I feel nothing else for anything that you are.” Hojo turned to spin the blood, and Cloud grabbed at the lab coat. “Tell me about the deterioration.”

“The mating stops it,” Hojo replied. “Haven’t you figured that out by now? I created a pair. To save him.” 

It was like a punch to the gut. Panic welled inside him as his stomach lurched, and Hojo was there with a bucket to catch his vomit. “Do they know? 

“About the Alpha and Omega?” Hojo questioned. “Of course n—”

“That they’re dying!” Cloud snapped, reaching out to grab onto the front of his shirt as he pulled him close. “How could you do this to them!?” 

“You’re the one doing this to them,” Hojo replied. “You can only pair with one, and as I have already explained. You chose the wrong one.” 

Cloud jumped up off the table, panicked as he had finally gotten his answers and they had damned him. “I’m leaving. I don’t need to be here for anymore tests!” 

Hojo sighed. “Fine, I’ll have Sephiroth come grab you to take you back to the barracks. However, do try to keep the information to yourself. Word gets out that the SOLDIERs are dying, and they may begin to panic to claim their only form of salvation.” 

He didn’t have to ask to know what that meant. He had heard the deal Genesis had made with Hojo. It was lie, wasn’t it? It had to be. One more way to manipulate the situation and get what he wanted. The SOLDIERs were about to rebel against this organization, and so Shinra had to tell them something. It didn’t mean it was true. It was just like Hojo telling Zack and Sephiroth he was in danger for a baby that didn’t even exist. 

This choice that he claimed he must make. It was all to get him what he really wanted. If he had to choose to save one of them...well...he wouldn’t even humor the lie. “I don’t need an escort.” This had to stop. Either Hojo kept him here as an experiment, or he let him go back. “I just want to go back to the barracks. If I miss any more time I won’t be able to take the test for SOLDIER.” 

Hojo burst out into laughter, actually covering his mouth at the offended look on Cloud’s face. “Oh, you’re serious?” Cloud glowered as the scientist grinned. “You still think you’re going to join SOLDIER? With what you are?” 

“No one asked you!” Cloud snapped, wanted to strangle the man. “Am I thrown out of the training program, because that would seem to me like that would take me out of Sephiroth’s path.” 

“You think you’re not in his path at this point?” Hojo questioned. 

Cloud frowned, trying not to let the desperation he was feeling show. “Don’t take this from me. Please.” Even if it was all a lie. Even if it was all in his head. This was all he had. 

Hojo sighed, pressing two fingers to the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Fine. You can return to your classes, but the moment your symptoms get too severe, and they will, you need to do something to fix it before driving the entire SOLDIER squadron crazy. Is that understood?” 

He didn’t understand. “But the suppressants?” 

“They’re making you too sick. I wasn’t lying at Nibelheim, Cloud, you keep fighting your instincts it won’t end well for you.” Hojo walked over to a cabinet, pulling out a bottle of pills. “For the pain.” 

Cloud eyed the pills warily, reaching out to take them as he examined Hojo’s face for any sign of a lie. “There’ll be pain?” 

“Oh yes,” Hojo assured him. “But you’re used to pain. You’ve had a lot of practice with it. Think about what I said, I am trying to save them.” 

“You’re not doing anything to help them,” Cloud argued, not buying this savior bullshit. 

“Regardless of what you think...denying your destiny will have consequences.” 

“It’s not destiny if it was cooked up in a lab,” Cloud argued. 

“Someday you’ll understand all this, and you’ll be thanking me.” 

“I’ll never thank you,” Cloud assured him, turning to walk out the lab.   
Cloud took the elevator down to the barracks, trying to process everything he had heard from Hojo. If the SOLDIERs were in danger he needed to help them. He needed to find out exactly what was going on. Sephiroth could help with that. He had run the tests on him. They didn’t need Shinra to fix this. Obviously they had no qualms about turning people in SOLDIERs knowing this was a possibility. If they were in danger that meant Zack, Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal were all in danger. Why would mating stop the decay? What difference would it make? 

He hated that Zack was away on a mission. Of course they would send him away when Hojo had taken him off suppressants. Cloud didn’t trust himself when he was away from the Alpha. He just wanted him close so that he wasn’t tempted. He just needed to stay away from Sephiroth until Zack got home. He could give the information about the deterioration to Genesis. He could be strong.   
~*~

To his defense. He made it almost two weeks. Two weeks of misery before he truly started to crack. The vomiting had stopped a day after he had gone back to the barracks. By the third his head was feeling clearer, and he had more energy. He pushed himself into training. He called Zack nightly, and they talked about his training...or about what stupid movie they had been watching. They talked about everything besides what was between the three of them, and it almost felt like normal again. 

After the first week the symptoms had started. It had been an itch at first. That course scratch of untapped arousal brushing over his skin. It kept him up at night, tossing and turning in his bunk as he felt clammy. Then came the stomach cramps. They were beginning to affect his performance in training, distracting him as he couldn’t quite perform the athletics they wanted him to. 

He had never jacked off so much in his life. Nothing helped. Nothing stopped the itch. He knew Zack couldn’t come back. He was in the thick of battle, but he was so close to begging. Hojo hadn’t called him back to the lab. He had done what he had said and let him go to training. Of course, the bastard had obviously known what was going to happen when he stopped giving him the meds. 

It was easy to fall back into old routines. It was easy to pretend like he had never gone to Nibelheim and discovered who he was. It was easy to go back to hanging out with Reno in the cafeteria after classes. To remember how his one thought in the world had been getting good enough for Sephiroth’s class. To be good enough for testing into SOLDIER. 

On day 12 he had begun popping pain pills like they were candy for the cramps. By day 14 he couldn’t get out of bed. He tossed and turned in misery, legs squirming as the sheets were soaked underneath him with sweat. It wasn’t arousal like he had felt the first time. Though, there was need. This was more pain. It was like his entire body was attacking itself. He knew that if he called Zack he would come, but they would court martial him for desertion. Not only that, but what about if the same thing happened as last time? Zack had pulled away after he went into the rut. It had almost broken him. 

“Blondie...you gotta let me do something,” Reno begged, leaning down next to him on the bed and placing a palm over his forehead. “Fuckkkkkkk you’re on fire...and not in the good way.” Reno shrugged. “I mean, still in the good way because you’re gorgeous even all clammy and shit.” 

Cloud smiled at him as the other fluffed up his sweaty spikes. “Thanks, you know I always try to look my best for you.” 

Reno snorted. “Don’t try too hard...you’re starting to smell.” 

Fuck. 

“Smell bad?” Cloud questioned, because Reno wasn’t a SOLDIER, it shouldn’t affect him. Yet, he remembered the red head saying he had smelled good. It hadn’t meant anything at the time. 

“I didn’t say bad,” Reno replied, pushing into the twin side bed as he laid next to him. His head rested on his folded up arm as he looked up in thought. “It’s weird...it’s like...my first boyfriend.” 

Cloud raised an eyebrow. “I smell like your first boyfriend?” 

“Yeah,” Reno said enthusiastically. “He always wore this cologne that he got from the pharmacy in Wallmarket. Corneo’s Secret...or something stupid like that.” 

“Sounds entirely trashy,” Cloud replied with a smile. 

“Oh he was. One of Corneo’s goons...he had the hottest tattoos though,” Reno mused. “Big dick.” 

“Sounds perfectly dreamy,” Cloud mocked sarcastically, curling up into himself as pain lanced through his stomach, trying to hide the agony as the meds didn’t help at all anymore. 

“Dude, no offense, but I think you’re going to die.” Reno murmured, sounding legitimately worried as a hand continued to pet through his hair. “Let me call Zack.” 

Cloud shook his head, teeth gritted as the pain became unbearable as wetness soaked his thighs. 

Fingers tightened in his hair, and when Cloud looked up Reno’s pupils were blown. “I feel weird...maybe I have the same thing you’ve got?” 

Cloud reached up, slowly unentwining those grasping fingers from his hair. “Reno, you’ve been in that special program, right? The one Tseung recruited you for?” 

Reno nodded, laying their foreheads together as his fingers trailed along his cheek. “You’re not the only one who’s special.” 

“Did they give you something?” Cloud questioned. “Some sort of treatment?” 

“Injections,” Reno replied. “They give them to all the Turks. Why won’t you tell me why you’re sick? Why do you keep disappearing?” 

“Why?” Cloud teased. “You worried about me?” 

“You’re my friend,” Reno admitted. “Of course I’m worried. I don’t have very many friends.” He knitted his eyebrows, looking confused at his own words. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. I usually try to impress you.” 

Cloud laughed at that. “You don’t need to impress me Reno. I promise I’m not worth it.” 

“I would argue against that presumption,” a voice spoke from the doorway, and Cloud looked up to see Sephiroth frowning in the doorway. “I smelled you from two floors away. We need to go. Now.” His teeth were sharp as he said it, and his eyes were glowing aqua. 

A rush of need...want...mate...love...alpha flowed through him as wetness soaked his thighs, and he actually heard Reno whine in pain as his friend curled up next to him. Cloud heard a crack, and looked up to see Sephiroth’s hand had crushed the door frame as he was bent over, back heaving as he clearly was trying not to lose control. 

“Reno,” Cloud tried, knowing things were going poorly as he pulled the redhead back to look at him, his eyes hazy and far away as he attempted to focus. “Don’t let them give you any more injections. Promise me.” 

“I feel weird,” Reno murmured, pulling back as he rubbed his face. “Like I’m stuck in a fog. I want to kiss you.” 

“I wouldn’t suggest it,” Sephiroth spoke from the doorway, and Cloud pushed himself up to sitting as well. 

“Seph...it’s okay. We’re just friends.” Cloud reached out, stroking Reno’s hair in the same way the other had done for him. “Reno, promise me...no more injections.” 

“Didn’t you know?” Sephiroth questioned. “Turks don’t go through as extreme of mako treatments, but they go through them all the same. Makes them faster...stronger.” 

“Better,” Reno finished. “I just want to be better.” 

“Yeah, so do I,” Cloud agreed, looking up to Sephiroth. “Is he going to be okay? It’s not like what happened to Zack, right?” 

Sephiroth didn’t reply for a few moments, clearly trying to compose himself. “I’m not convinced I’m going to be okay at this point, Cloud. Call his cousin, and let’s go.” 

“Cousin?” Cloud questioned, confused as he clutched at his stomach. 

“Genesis,” Sephiroth replied. “Didn’t you know? Why do you think he’s already being scouted by the Turks?” 

Shock went through him as he punched Reno’s shoulder. “You didn’t tell me you were related to Genesis! You asshole!” 

“We don’t get along,” Reno murmured, voice still a drugged haze. “He’s an asshole. I wanted to do it on my own.” 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth bit. “Now. He’s touching you...and I can’t...I’m trying to control it.” 

Cloud nodded, knowing better than to argue when the strongest man in the world was about to lose it. He leaned forward and kissed the top of his head, guilt eating at him at what he had done. “Just text him okay. Tell him Sephiroth said so.” 

He grunted as he was ripped up off the bed, gasping as he was thrust against the wall and a tongue was shoved into his mouth. Sephiroth was trembling against him as he kissed him almost furiously, hands bunching in his t-shirt, one coming down to the back of his black sweatpants. 

Sephiroth pulled back, mouth open in a pant and Cloud watched in fascination as a drop of mako rolled down his cheek from his glowing eyes. “How did he resist you?” 

Cloud reached out, fingertips brushing away the mako as he froze his fingertips. “It’s okay.” If he pushed Sephiroth away right now he knew it would be the same. He’d go into a rut. He’d hurt him just as he had hurt Zack. “Seph...there’s too many SOLDIERs on your floor.” A growl reverberated through Sephiroth’s chest at just the thought. “I’ll help calm you down, okay? But I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” 

Sephiroth laughed, fingers pressing up the back of his t-shirt to span over the burning flesh of his back. “Calm me down...how are you going to do that, precious?” The Alpha grinned at him, leaning down to his face. “Do you have any idea the things I’m going to do to you? My precious Omega?”

Cloud shut his eyes as need took over him, wetness dripping down his thighs. “Where?” 

“I know where,” Sephiroth managed, grabbing for his hand and yanking him out the door before he even had a chance to grab his shoes. 

“Sephiroth!’ Cloud scolded as he was yanked down the hall, looking around as his cheeks were burning. “If someone sees...Seph!” 

“If someone sees I’ll inform them that you are mine to do with as I will. If they see, I’ll fuck you in front of them just so they’re sure of what they’re observing. We wouldn’t want any rumors.” Sephiroth yanked him down the hall and into a stairwell. Cloud moaned as he was slammed against the wall by the stairs, Sephiroth pressing between his legs as they kissed again. Sephiroth’s mouth tasted like mako. It swept Cloud under that need as he wrapped his arms around the other’s neck and let himself be lifted up onto the railing. 

He fought against his base desires, and how good it felt to have Sephiroth pressed up against him. He thought about how things were getting back to normal. How he hadn’t seen Zack, but they had been getting back to normal. He loved him. He had bit him. Zack wasn’t here. He wasn’t here again. Even though it wasn’t his fault this time. 

It didn’t matter. This wasn’t about him and Zack. This was about him letting things get too out of control. Sephiroth was in pain. The Alpha was hurting. 

His true Alpha.

Cloud pushed on Sephiroth’s chest, pushing him back to see those glowing pools of aqua. “Hey, let me help. We can’t have sex when I’m like this Seph...it wouldn’t be real. But, I can help you.” 

Sephiroth grinned, and his sharp teeth almost glimmered. “Help me?” He stepped back, fingers coming to the front of his pants as he unsnapped them. “Do you remember what I told you? After what happened with Zachary?” 

His eyes traveled down to those fingers as Sephiroth slipped his hard cock out of the leather pants, and Cloud felt his mouth water as his stomach cramped in desire this time rather than pain. His own cock was straining against his sweats, and he knew he was failing. Sephiroth inhaled, wiping at the mako leaking from his nose. 

“You told me that you wouldn’t be dumb enough to resist,” Cloud answered, because the Alpha had asked him a question. “But this isn’t okay. We’re back together...Sephiroth...there’s no baby.” 

“Do you think I’m not aware?” Sephiroth asked, head tilting to watch him as he stepped close to grab at the waistband of Cloud’s pants. “I questioned Hojo about everything. I made sure you were safe. I’ve fended off all your would be attackers so that you could feel normal again since I knew what Nibelheim did to you. I did everything for you...not him...me.” Sephiroth cupped his face. “Don’t you understand, Cloud? I’m in love with you...and it’s not just your...condition.” 

Cloud shook his head. “It’s not real. It’s chemical. I’m doing this to you, and I’m sorry.” He managed, moaning as he was yanked in for another kiss.

“Don’t be sorry,” Sephiroth managed, pulling back. “I’ve been experimented on my entire life. Believe me, I know the difference.” 

He blinked as he looked up at Sephiroth. “What do you smell?” he questioned, remembering what Reno had said. 

Sephiroth knitted his eyebrows in confusion, tilting his neck to the side to bury his face into it to inhale the pure extent of his in heat scent. “I don’t smell anything but you,” Sephiroth spoke, before sharp teeth leaned down and sunk into his neck, breaking the scent gland before Cloud even had a chance to consider the possibility. 

Cloud screamed as pleasure unlike anything he had ever felt before filled him, and he whited out as he came, vaguely aware he was clinging to Sephiroth as he was lifted, and then the Alpha’s cock pressed into his slick open entrance up to the hilt as that mouth stayed latched on him, lapping at the scent. 

It felt like the universe expanded and contracted around him, exploding in a sea of blue and green as he could feel the planet...and he could feel Sephiroth as the other pulled off his neck, only to crash their mouths back together as they kissed. 

Sephiroth ripped him off the wall as his thighs squeezed around him. They fell backwards onto the stairs as Cloud scrambled to straddle the other’s thighs. His neck was bloody and soaking the front of his shirt as his hands pressed against Sephiroth’s chest. As he looked into those glowing eyes he saw his own in the reflection, burning just as bright as he pressed the Alpha back against the stairs as sank inch by inch onto that hard cock. 

His fingertips wiped at Sephiroth’s bloody mouth as he raised himself up and down on top of him. “What did you do?” He asked, pleasure exploding through him as with every thrust inside he felt it along the length of him. He felt what Sephiroth felt, crying out as it felt like his cock was enveloped even as the other pressed inside. 

“What I had to…” Sephiroth managed, forehead burying into his chest as he lifted him up and down. “I made the choice for you.” 

But it had never really been a choice at all, had it? 

Because he loved Zack, but this...this was destiny. This was everything right with the world. 

Sephiroth shifted his hips, pressing deeper as Cloud fell back. Cloud’s fingertips hit the floor as his head leaned back against a stair as his body bowed. The alpha thrust up his hips, angling so that Cloud could practically feel it in his stomach, while simultaneously feeling it from Sephiroth. His sanity began to buckle slightly at the overwhelming pleasure as drool leaked from his mouth. 

A hand pressed to the back of his shoulders, pulling him back up and to that bloody mouth as they kissed roughly, Sephiroth’s fingernails digging down his spine as Cloud began to move his hips. 

Cloud’s body was on fire as he panted, feeling pain in his jaw as he cried out as he felt his teeth elongated, an animalistic nature taking over as he laid their foreheads together. His glowing eyes rolled to the back of his head as he felt Sephiroth’s cock expanding and then pressing into him. He lunged then as he felt that knot inside him, not able to control himself as he surged forward and latched onto the same spot on Sephiroth’s neck. 

The taste of Sephiroth and mako splashed over his tongue as he felt himself cum again, his entrance spasming as he milked that knot. He spilled across Sephiroth’s chest at the same time that he spilled into the other’s mind, seeing the experiments, the war, the loneliness, and a creature...some sort of creature latched deep within Sephiroth’s consciousness. 

Jenova. 

The thought was gone as soon as it had come as he was brought back to the present as Sephiroth was kissing him, blood splattered across the stairwell from their necks. Anyone could walk in at any time. There was so much wrong with this. He didn’t care. He didn’t ever want to be apart from him. 

When he came back to himself they were kissing lazily, and he felt full with Sephiroth’s sperm, his stomach slightly swollen as he practically purred as the fingertips trailing down his spine. Sephiroth held him close, pulling back from the kiss to look up at him. “Cloud…”

“Hmmm?” Cloud questioned, feeling sated and drugged as he leaned in to kiss him again, Sephiroth placating him for only a moment before he pulled back. 

“I saw your memories.”   
.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. So...that was unplanned. Oh well...I suppose these things happen. I think I probably feel more guilty about what happened to Zack than Cloud does….which is pretty par for the course (Looking at Cloud as he promises to remember Zack, immediately forgets him, and then tries to steal his girl) I am ALMOST done with the remake. It is soooooo good. I am currently at Headquarters and I just don’t want it to end. Hopefully what just happened was a good surprise for everyone...please review and alleviate me of my guilt.


	16. Live for More

Chapter 16: Live for More

“Concentrate,” Sephiroth spoke as he pressed inside him. Cloud moaned as that cock pressed deeper inside of him, groaning at the pleasure that came with the other speaking into his ear. He moaned as he lifted his hips, seated on the other’s lap with his legs wrapped around his back. His hands fisted into the long silver hair, dragging Sephiroth’s glowing eyes up to his own, leaning in to kiss him. 

Sephiroth humored him for a few moments, before pulling back and digging his nails into Cloud’s hips. “I said concentrate...this isn’t about pleasure.” 

Cloud raised an eyebrow in suspicion at his Alpha, rolling his hips and watching the way Sephiroth’s eyes lidded in pleasure. “It’s not?” he teased breathlessly, throwing his head back as he stared up at the beautiful blue sky. 

They were in the middle of a field of wildflowers with white marble buildings surrounding them on all sides. It was beautiful. Sephiroth had called it the promised land before proceeding to strip off all of his clothes. 

His heat had lasted a week... a week of not being able to be parted from Sephiroth. A week of needing him in his very soul. They were connected on a level he had never thought possible, and it hadn’t taken Sephiroth long to realize what was going on. 

The first time when they had mated he had seen into Sephiroth’s head, and the other had seen into his. He had seen memories he didn’t even have anymore. With enough practice, the SOLDIER was convinced they could retrieve what he had lost. Always the over achiever, his alpha. 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth spoke reproachfully, dragging his attention back to him as he couldn’t help but surge forward to kiss him again. He smiled at the disapproving growl that came from the other, before Sephiroth grabbed for the back of his spikes to kiss him deeper. Cloud moaned as he felt that connection again. 

As Sephiroth pressed deeper inside of him, he felt the other’s consciousness scrape against his own. He knew this was what Sephiroth wanted, so he didn’t fight it. He let Sephiroth’s soul slide against his own as they kissed, and cried out as the pleasure that overwhelmed him when he crashed with his mate’s consciousness. 

Sephiroth’s soul tasted like mako. 

It felt like the other was rooting around in his mind, opening up doors as memories began to pour out. He saw himself on a lab table with Hojo standing over him. It switched to him climbing up a mountain as he glanced upwards at a reactor. He pulled back from Sephiroth’s mouth, bending backwards as his palm pressed against the flowers to support himself as he moved his hips quicker. 

He felt the familiar shuttering of his sanity as they were connected in such a deep way. It had been getting easier the more they practiced, but Sephiroth was relentless. He kept pushing more and more, scraping up against his soul in such a way that he didn’t know where his ended and Sephiroth’s began. 

Cloud saw Sephiroth going through training. He saw him in the war. He saw him laughing as Zack sat across from him. Pain lanced through their bond like spikes as he saw Zack. The connection turned to fire as memory after memory of them together swept between them. 

Guilt and pain rushed through their connection as Cloud pulled at it, trying to get away from the memories. Sephiroth was growling to try to get him under control, but he rebelled against the command, breaking their connection and coming back to his own consciousness as the memories stopped and they were back in the field. 

His cheeks were wet with tears and his stomach was horrifyingly coated in his own cum, feeling warmth inside of him as well as he pulled off of Sephiroth like he was burned. Cloud crawled across the grass as he grabbed for his pants, pulling them on over his sticky thighs. 

Cloud wiped at his face, pants still not zipped up as his hand slammed down onto the terminal. The illusion of the Ancient City faded in the training room as he chanced a glance down to Sephiroth who was laying back on the panels, hand on his stomach as he worked to catch his breath. 

“Why did you make me do that!?” Cloud yelled at him, knowing full well he had agreed to it. Knowing full well he had come to be addicted to the connection. It had been easy during his heat to pretend like he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Like they hadn’t broken every rule when Sephiroth had taken it upon himself to bite him. 

It was easy to drown in the pleasure and ignore the fact that Zack was due home in a few days. Sephiroth hadn’t moved yet, looking up towards the ceiling. “Are you under the impression that I wanted your mind to go to him?” He finally sat up, unfazed by his nudity as he glared up at Cloud. “I just felt what you feel for him. I felt the way you long for him. I saw how happy he makes you. So don’t you dare yell at me,” he hissed venomously, causing Cloud to flinch as he had angered his alpha. 

Sephiroth pushed himself to standing then, and Cloud couldn’t help but gaze at that perfect body that was now covered in his scent. Long silver hair fell down to his bare hips as he walked over, and Cloud resisted the urge to step back as the alpha grabbed for his chin. 

“Do you have any idea how dangerous what you just did was? There’s no precedent for what we’ve been doing. We have to be careful.” 

Cloud frowned at the admonishment, shaking his head at the other. “I couldn’t share him with you.” 

“But you want me to share you, is that it?” Sephiroth questioned. 

“I don’t know,” Cloud answered honestly. “I didn’t plan for any of this. I didn’t plan to be an Omega soul bonded to someone different than the person I fell in love with.” It was a circle without an answer. It was the same fight over and over again. He yanked his face away from Sephiroth’s hand as he turned his back to him. “We haven’t even told him yet.” 

He sighed as arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him backwards against a strong chest as lips pressed apologetically to his mating mark. “I know this is hard for you,” Sephiroth whispered into his skin. “I know you’re hurting, and that it’s my fault. I don’t want you to feel like you’re with me out of a sense of obligation...instead of the one you love.” 

Cloud leaned back into those arms, tilting his neck to give Sephiroth more access. “You’re not an obligation. I knew what I was doing when I followed you. I just don’t know what to do...He’s going to hate us.” 

“You’re hard to hate,” Sephiroth argued, hands rubbing along his stomach. “What did you see?” 

“The lab...the reactor...I still haven’t gone inside. I saw you training to get into SOLDIER...I saw Wutai.” They had attempted this four different times now, and every time they had connected they had seen different things. Cloud hadn’t seen that monster in Sephiroth’s mind since they had mated. He suspected Sephiroth was responsible for that. “What did you see?” 

He felt a small smile come to his face as lips pressed to his shoulder, and he felt so comforted even after what had happened. “I don’t know that I should tell you what I saw.” 

Cloud knitted his eyebrows at that, turning in Sephiroth’s arms as he looked up suspiciously. “Why?” 

“Because it’ll make you angry,” Sephiroth answered easily. 

“Sephiroth.” Cloud prodded, frowning up at him. 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth mocked back, leaning down to kiss him. He pulled back when Cloud didn’t kiss back, sighing as he realized he was waiting for an answer. “Genesis. I saw Genesis.” 

He didn’t understand. “So? We both have spent a lot of time with…”

“From before you left Nibelheim. He knew you.” Sephiroth frowned down at him before saying the next part. “He was helping Hojo.” 

Cloud felt like cold water had been poured down his spine. “What?” he bit out. “I’m going to kill him.” He pulled away, scrambling in the training simulator to grab for his shirt and shoes. “I don’t know that I can kill a SOLDIER, but I’m going to try.” He angrily pulled on his shirt. “I know...I’m going to make him punch himself in the dick.” 

Sephiroth picked up his clothes as well, slipping on his leather pants. “I suspect Hojo forced him to, however, I have a few choice words for him as well. I don’t like being deceived.” 

Cloud’s entire life was built on deception, but it didn’t make it hurt any less whenever he found out about another layer of it. At this point he didn’t even feel surprised. “All to get an Omega? What about if you are in danger?” Cloud questioned. “What about if Hojo was telling the truth and Alphas are dying?” Was Zack in danger? 

“He rarely tells the truth,” Sephiroth reminded him. “Which is why we’re doing the testing.” 

“It’s not enough!” Cloud snapped. “We should have been pushing harder...you can have all the blood you need.” 

“We’re doing what we can. Obviously your heat was not the opportune moment for research,” Sephiroth argued. 

“Why?” Cloud shot back sarcastically. “Was I not there to give you enough samples?” 

Sephiroth grinned sardonically at that. “Oh, you gave me plenty of samples,” he teased darkly. “It was just a little hard to pry you away with you wanting my cock in you every two hours for a week.” 

Cloud flushed a deep scarlet, turning his face away as Sephiroth laughed. He turned back to him to glower. “Don’t laugh at me.” 

“You’re blushing,” Sephiroth mused, walking over and fisting a hand through his spikes to pull him close. “I’ve practically lived inside you for the past two weeks. I’ve heard every noise you make during sex. I’ve licked every inch of you. I’ve buried myself inside your soul...and still you blush.” 

The heat didn’t fade as Cloud’s eyes became lidded at the purr at which Sephiroth talked to him. It spread to the tips of his toes as he didn’t know how it was possible to already want him again. His arms went around the SOLDIER’s neck as he pulled him down to his mouth, sighing into the kiss as the rage and guilt he had been feeling started to ebb and he could drown in the need and comfort that came from kissing the person who owned every part of him. 

Sephiroth pulled back slightly. “I know you feel guilty. I know the decision I asked you to make when I took you, but I won’t give you back. I’ve had so little in my life Cloud that matters. You matter to me.” 

They weren’t that different, him and Sephiroth. They had grown up in the same way. They had both been used by Shinra their entire lives with just a glimmer of what love and affection could be like. They had found each other despite all of that. How could he leave him alone again? How could he let Sephiroth ask him for the world, and then tell him no? 

“You matter to me,” Cloud answered, fingers entwining in that long hair. “He matters too. I won’t lose him even if I can’t be with him. I bit him.” 

Sephiroth’s chest vibrated in a growl as his eyes began to glow aqua at the reminder. “Yes, you bit him. We don’t know what it means, unless you’re saying it’s like what’s between us?” 

Nothing was like what was between them. They were soulmates. 

“I don’t know what it is. I don’t want to go to him for help, but we have a lot of questions.” He’d rather bite off his own tongue than to go back to Hojo’s lab and tell him that everything he had predicted had come true. The bastard would never let him live it down. 

“It’s a detestable proposition, but I think you’re right,” Sephiroth murmured. “In any case...he might know how to remove the bite.” Cloud’s hand instinctively flew up to his own neck in fear, eyes wide as he watched Sephiroth, who merely smiled at him. “Not that bite.” Cloud shut his eyes as he was kissed again, head going fuzzy as he practically melted into the other before Sephiroth pulled away to toss on his shirt. 

Sephiroth grinned at him as he pressed in the code to open up the training simulator. “I would say training went well though, wouldn’t you?” 

Cloud rolled his eyes at that. “Well, you really do just take me to the most fascinating places, Seph.” He thought back to the massive marble building and beautiful flowers. “Do you think it was really like that? Back when the Ancients existed?” 

“I think that Shinra has improved the world in a lot of ways, but the irrevocable damage they’ve done to the planet in the meantime has made places like that seems like a faerie story.” The door opened, and Cloud frowned at the man in a suit waiting for them when they stepped out. 

“Sephiroth,” the man greeted. He had long black hair tied behind him and mahogany eyes. 

“Tseng,” Sephiroth replied, voice guarded. 

“The President would like to see you,” he replied, looking around Sephiroth to catch his eye. “And your...pet.” 

“What the hell did you call me, asshole?” Cloud bit out, bristling as his cheeks burned. 

“Why does the President want to see him?” Sephiroth questioned, voice emotionless, never letting the worry he could feel radiating off his mate show through. 

“Because, believe or not, the two of you have been discussed quite frequently. Hojo gave them an update on the progress of his little project.” Tseng looked distastefully at Cloud. “All of this fuss over a pretty twink with above average hair.” The Turk shook his head in disgust. 

“Who the hell are you calling a twink?” Cloud bit out angrily, stepping up to the Turk. “You’re a glorified body guard.” 

“And you’re a really expensive sex toy. Though I’ve had plenty of pieces of plastic I find more desirable than you,” Tseng assured him, looking towards Sephiroth. “I’ll lead you upstairs.” Tseng wiped at his nose as he glanced once more at Cloud in disgust. “You reek.” 

Sephiroth was frowning at the Turk as he crossed his arms, obviously debating what to do. “Just the President?” 

Tseng grinned. “Unfortunately, no. That harpy is in there too...and of course Hojo. He’s brimming with pride at his…” Tseng once more glanced at him in disdain, and Cloud felt the need to punch him. “Accomplishments.” 

The Alpha sighed, motioning towards the elevators. “Lead the way.” Cloud glanced over to Sephiroth in nervousness, not really able to feel anything through their bond unless they were touching. Why was he so okay with going to the President’s office? Why did this Turk know so much about them? 

Cloud trusted Sephiroth to not put them in any harm, and so he followed after him and the Turk. Nervousness flooded his insides as the Turk used his keycard to get to the top floor. He glanced between Tseng and Sephiroth, not able to keep his questions inside anymore as he turned towards the SOLDIER. “What does he want?” Sephiroth didn’t look over, just continuing to stare out the glass window as they soared higher up the building. “Sephiroth?” Cloud snapped at him, to which he was again ignored, causing Tseng to scoff. 

“He doesn’t know,” Tseng replied. “But he knows how to listen. Just like you should. I wouldn’t bristle quite so much in front of the President unless you want to live to regret it.” 

“I wasn’t asking you,” Cloud hissed back. 

“And he wasn’t answering you,” Tseng replied. “Guess you don’t whip Alphas as much as they say.” 

“What’s your problem with me, exactly?” Cloud asked him, glancing over to see Sephiroth still staring distractedly out the window.

“My problem?” Tseng questioned. “I just had to babysit my newest recruit while he lost his mind just like half of an entire floor. I now owe the Honey Bee Inn half a year of salary for paying for their company to come up here so they didn’t tear each other apart.” 

“Reno?” Cloud asked in concern. “Is he okay?” 

Tseng sneered at him. “He’s fine, but your concern is touching after leaving everyone to clean up your sloppy mess.” 

Sephiroth finally looked over at that, glaring at Tseng. “Enough. It’s not going to be a problem any longer. He won’t have anymore...episodes.” 

Tseng raised an eyebrow, before looking disdainfully at Cloud as the elevator stopped. “Must be nice to be so certain. I’ll remember that the next time I’m cleaning up one of your messes.” He looked at Sephiroth scornfully. “He should have never been allowed a second heat.” 

Embarrassment and shame filled him as they walked off the elevators and headed up the stairs. It didn’t seem possible that the entire company would know about his sex life, and yet...here he was going to talk to the President of Shinra about it. 

Cloud swallowed down his anxiety as they pushed through the doors, looking down at his haphazard t-shirt and black pants that he had been forced to meet the President in. He winced as there was definitely a cum stain on his thigh. He looked up to see the old man sitting behind the desk, and to each side of his was Hojo and Scarlet. He recognized her as the head of the weapon’s department. She was designing cutting edge materia to be used in battles. She was probably the only reason they had an army. 

“Mr. President,” Sephiroth greeted, eyes fixed upon the man at the desk. “May I introduce a promising new recruit. Cloud Strife.” 

Cloud realized his training then as he stood at attention, one arm folded behind his back. “Honor to meet you.” 

The president continued to stare at him, chin resting on the back of his hands. “Promising. So I hear.” 

“He’s delicious,” Scarlet breathed out, covering her mouth as she looked him over. “Hojo, I normally think most of your projects are idiotic, but you have really outdone yourself this time.”

“A successful specimen,” Hojo agreed, and Cloud winced at being referred to as a specimen from the man who had fathered him. “When he’s bred, even more successful yet.” 

Cloud shot a glare towards the man, face hot as his hand came instinctively to his stomach. “When I’m bred?” He tried to remember where he was. He tried to remember that he was in front of the most powerful people in the world, and that he was a grunt who belonged to them. 

He wasn’t successful. 

“I’m not a damn horse!” He shot at the man, going to take a step closer, but was yanked back by Sephiroth. Cloud looked up to see those eyes cold and dangerous and demanding he behave. 

The president sighed. “When can he be tested to see if it was successful?” 

“Immediately,” Hojo answered. “He lost the last one, but there were mitigating stressers. Besides. It wasn’t Sephiroth’s.” 

“What?” Cloud asked, feeling incomprehensible loss as both hands went to his stomach and he looked over to Sephiroth for some kind of acknowledgement. ...Some comprehension that he knew. His alpha didn’t even bat an eye. 

“Do it. Keep it alive this time. If it doesn’t kill him I want to move on to the next part of the project.” President Shinra watched him. “You are to cease training. There will be no stressers that could possibly cause you to lose this one.”

Cloud furiously wiped at his eyes, not aware of when he had begun crying. “I’m not pregnant. Even if I was I…” 

“You what?” the president interrupted. “You wouldn’t go along with what we said? Let me explain something to you. You belong to us. You’re property, just the same as him.” He motioned to Sephiroth. “I allowed Hojo to carry on with his experiment, but I just had half of my army lose their minds for two weeks and so I’m no longer concerned with keeping you happy. Sephiroth is of the Ancients. His mother was Jenova, and that baby will be an Ancient.” 

“Ancients?” Cloud asked, looking towards Sephiroth for confirmation, but his mate’s face was a cold mask. 

“He’s not. There’s no test required,” Sephiroth spoke up. “As I told Tseng, the heats will no longer be a problem. As I told Hojo, I’m handling it. This intervention wasn’t necessary.” 

“You did what?” Cloud questioned in disgust as Sephiroth wouldn’t look at him. 

Scarlet laughed at that. “He’s adorable. I can’t wait to start on my project with him.” The woman with the diving chest line walked over to him, and Cloud instinctively took a step back. “You’re like a scared kitten.” She glanced over to Sephiroth. “Didn’t have it in you to complete the job?” She glanced back to Cloud. “I have a strap on with an orb of materia on the end of it. I’m willing to give it a shot...What do you say, Kitten? You want me to show you what it’s like to really be bred?” 

Cloud’s eyes were wide at the assumption, actually stammering he was so embarrassed by the way this woman spoke to him. 

Sephiroth gave a deeply annoyed sigh. “If you touch him. You won’t like the results.” He grabbed Scarlet’s wrist, yanking her away. 

Scarlet moaned at the treatment, licking her lips. “Oh please, I’m begging you to show me just how much I won’t like it. I do miss our little....sessions.” 

“Enough,” President Shinra barked. “Scarlet, do try to contain yourself. The goal is not to stress him out, and this next part will be plenty stressful for him to hear. Boy, do you see how behaved Sephiroth is being even though he’s probably imagining me decapitated?” the president got out of his chair, coming closer as Sephiroth let go of Scarlet, standing once more at attention. “That’s called power. I am certainly not the smartest or strongest in this room, but I do have all the necessary means to take everything he’s ever cared about away from him.” 

“I’m not property,” Cloud argued, mouth a hard line as he watched the president warily. 

“Of course you are, boy. His...ours...you wouldn’t exist otherwise, would you?” Cloud glanced over to Sephiroth, seeing that his hand was shaking with barely repressed rage. “That baby will lead us to a new world. The others he’s creating may help with the army, but you...you’re special. We need you.” 

Cloud swallowed as he slowly shook his head in disgust. “We’re not an experiment. I don’t love him because of an experiment...and I would never give you our child.” 

“No?” President Shinra questioned, pulling a remote from his pocket and hitting play on the tv by the wall. Cloud’s eyes focused in on the familiar spiky black hair as Zack walked through a village in Wutai. Lasers were pinpointed onto his back from all sides. “How about now?” It didn’t take a genius to understand what he was implying. 

“Don’t!” he shot out. “Please don’t. I’ll do anything.” 

President Shinra grinned. “I thought you might be a bit more agreeable. It certainly shortened Sephiroth’s leesh when I showed him.” 

“You knew?” Cloud hissed at the alpha. “You knew they had guns on him? That they were using him as bait and you didn’t tell me?” 

Sephiroth looked over at him, lip curling in annoyance, before turning back to the president. “Besides ruining my relationship, is there a reason we’re here?” 

“Yes,” The President spoke. “As I said, he will no longer be going to classes. Though, from what I hear he’s been kept quite occupied from them as of late anyways. He will stop putting up a fight when it comes to testing with Hojo and Scarlet...or we’ll kill one of our most promising SOLDIERs. I don’t want to do that. He cost me a fortune.” the president motioned with his hand. “You see, they all believe you’re better off in the dark. Hojo didn’t want me to bring you up here. But I believe you deserve the truth. You were made for our use. I’m going to use you. Now get out, and just so you know, if you try to warn him we’ll kill him. Your phones are monitored. You’re recorded wherever you go. We’ll know.” 

“Can’t wait, Kitten,” Scarlet purred to him. “I’ll get all my toys ready.” 

Hojo walked over to them, grabbing for Cloud’s arm as a needle was stuck into his veins. “Forgive me if I don’t quite believe you,” Hojo spoke to Sephiroth. “Remember what we discussed when you leave here today. Remember what’s at stake.” 

“Get out of my sight,” the president spoke as Tseng stepped forward to motion them back to the elevator. Cloud was shaking as they were led onto the elevator and stopped on the SOLDIER’s floor. He followed Sephiroth out, hands wrapping around himself as they went towards Sephiroth’s suite. 

The second they were behind the closed doors, Cloud’s hand went to his mouth. “I’m going to be sick,” he managed, turning to glare at his alpha. “You liar!” 

The mask of indifference Sephiroth had been wearing the entire time he had been ignoring him in that office broke, and one of pain covered his face instead. “Cloud, you don’t understand.” 

“I understand perfectly!” Cloud screamed at him, pointing towards the door. “Do you have any idea how humiliating that was? To be talked about like some broodmare!? To be called property!?” His eyes were wild as fury filled him. “And you knew! You knew about Zack and you lied to me!” 

“I didn’t lie to you,” Sephiroth pointed out. “I omitted the truth.” 

“That’s lying!” Cloud snapped. “They all lie to me Seph. You never have. You’ve always told me whatever truth you knew about my fucked up existence!” He grabbed at his hair. “How could you not tell me about Zack?” 

“Because I didn’t want to lose another baby,” Sephiroth spoke. 

Cloud put his hands down to glare. “It wasn’t your baby,” he hissed, watching Sephiroth flinch. 

Sephiroth inhaled shakily, obviously trying to get himself back under control. “No. But this one will be. Forgive me for wanting to selfishly have you for two weeks when I just mated you.” 

“Bred me,” Cloud corrected with venom leaching from his tongue. “You bred me like a bitch in heat for your bosses, and you called it love.” 

“Love, interesting choice of words. Should we talk about your lies then?” Sephiroth questioned. 

“What lies?” Cloud growled, fists balled up at his sides. 

“You said you loved me up in that office,” Sephiroth reminded him. 

“It wasn’t a lie,” Cloud spoke, voice a bit calmer, but still on the brink of screaming. “I didn’t lie.” He shook his head. “Of course I love you. Of course I fucking do. I have since you made me pancakes.” Cloud motioned around as Sephiroth just stared at him in shock. “Do you honestly think I would have blown up my life like this if it was because of a damn instinct that Hojo forced in me!?” 

Sephiroth walked forward then, and Cloud shot him a warning glare that was ignored as he was pushed up against the wall. Cloud beat at the strong chest, trying to push him back as he broke away. “Get off me! I hate you!” 

“You don’t,” Sephiroth argued, grabbing the back of his head to pull him back in for a kiss. Cloud fought at first, the struggle fading as they were finally touching again and he could feel what Sephiroth felt. He was washed underneath the lovedesireneedwantregret. Cloud melted into the kiss, slowly beginning to respond as he felt Sephiroth smile, before pulling away to place his mouth at his ear. “Listen to me,” he whispered. “I’m not going to let our child be born in this place, but I can’t take you away from it until I know you’re safe. Hojo wasn’t lying about the baby being dangerous for you. It could kill you. I can’t lose you...not when I just got you. So if that makes you hate me...and if it makes you feel like I didn’t defend you in that room of monsters, just know that it took every ounce of my self control not to gut every last one of them.” 

Cloud knew why he was whispering, understood now that they were probably being watched as he kissed along Sephiroth’s neck to get to his ear. “We have to help him. Promise.”

“I promise,” Sephiroth spoke, and Cloud felt the sincerity through their bond, gasping as the other leaned down to heft him up to his hips. He reacted obediently, wrapping his legs around his waist as the other pulled him in for a kiss and carried him towards their bedroom. 

Cloud’s eyes were heavy lidded as he leaned back against Sephiroth a while later. He felt warm and content in those arms as the blankets were pulled around them. His belly was full of his mate’s seed, and the horrifying experience that was that office was beginning to ebb in his brain as Sephiroth washed over him with their bond needlovecomfortforgivenesssafe as he kissed along his neck. 

“Are you really an Ancient?” Cloud questioned, smiling lazily as Sephiroth’s hand swept over his belly. 

“I don’t know. They’ve always told me my mother was Jenova.” Sephiroth kissed along his jaw, biting faintly at his ear. 

Warning bells went off in Cloud’s mind as he remembered that thing inside of Sephiroth’s soul. That monster that lived inside him. “Jenova?” 

Sephiroth’s affection paused, lips pressed against his hair. “Yes, I understand if it changes the way you see me. I have a darkness inside me, Cloud. Just under the surface, and sometimes I think it will come spilling out...but not when I’m with you. You make all the nightmares go away.” 

Cloud shifted to turn in those arms. He looked up into sincere aqua eyes that were still tinged and glowing from when they had been lost in each other. “What do you want, Seph? More than anything? Has anyone ever even asked you what you dream of?” 

Sephiroth didn’t answer, reaching out to tuck a stray spike behind his ear as he obviously considered actually speaking. “A family. I want to belong to someone...in a way that wasn’t like up in that room. I want someone to see me. Not what has been created. Not what’s just scratching underneath the surface. Me.” 

Cloud smiled at that, leaning in to kiss him, pulling back to give him a smile. “I see you. Every bit of you. No more nightmares Seph...We’ll live for our dreams now, and all the nightmares will go away.”   
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finished the game. ...And for obvious reasons am the happiest person ever with that ending. Hopefully this story isn’t getting too convoluted. Poor Zack...I just want him to be happy most of all. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and it wasn’t too confusing with the bond and soul deep dive situation. Thanks so much for reading and the feedback I’ve received so far!


	17. Domestic

Chapter 17: Domestic

Cloud rose from the bath, too nervous to notice how bad his head was pounding as he could hardly breathe. He reached over to drain the water as he stepped out and wrapped his waist in one of Sephiroth’s fluffy black towels. He cleared the fog from the mirror as he toweled off his hair and did the best he could to get it to spike up. 

He was a nervous ball of anticipation and worry as he practically vibrated on his toes. Fingertips came to his neck as he frowned at the healing scar. Hiding Sephiroth’s scent with a bath was one thing, but his neck...he’d never be able to hide it. 

Zack was due back today. He had gotten off the phone with him a half hour ago. He was safe. Cloud had done everything Shinra had wanted him to. He had stayed in Sephiroth’s apartment like a kept pet while his alpha was doing training. They hadn’t sent Sephiroth off for a mission in over a month, a fact that he could see was wearing on the SOLDIER who was used to having his sword caked in blood. 

Sephiroth’s temper was getting worse and worse with being in headquarters all the time, and Cloud didn’t blame him. The way people treated him like he was a trophy in a case, it was sickening. He knew he had begun to resent him for being the one to make him stay. How could he not? They were being watched around the clock. Cloud got a blood test every day to check if he was pregnant, a fact he still couldn’t quite wrap his mind around. A fact he kept telling himself wouldn’t come true, despite the fact that he had supposedly already lost a baby. ...Zack’s baby. Sephiroth was once more being used as an experiment, and it was all his fault. 

Cloud tried to be as helpful as possible...accommodating. It was like walking on eggshells around Sephiroth’s mood. Then came the news Zack was coming home, and the mood had gotten even more foul. He couldn’t blame him in that regard either. They had agreed not to tell Zack until they were back in person. They had agreed not to tell him, because Cloud still didn’t have any clue what he was going to say when he saw him again. 

It had been easy pretending to play house with Sephiroth. It had been easy when he didn’t have to face what he had done, but he was almost home now. He was almost home, and Cloud still didn’t know how he was going to hide the mark on his neck.

He padded out of the bathroom, heading distractedly into the kitchen as he started the coffee and dug around in the fridge for the ingredients to make them breakfast. His hands were shaking as he opened the egg cartoon, cracking eggs as he heated up a pan for omelets. Cloud glanced over at the clock on the wall, frowning at the time as he looked around. 

Throwing the ingredients into the pan, Cloud practically ran down the hallway. He opened their bedroom door slowly, smiling at the way Sephiroth was still wrapped in the comforter, long silver hair spanning over the pillow. His heart pounded in his chest at just how normal this felt...to be here with him. To be with him. 

“Hey…” He managed, still nervous as he came over to lean down on the side of the bed, fingers carding through the long hair. “Seph...I made breakfast. You have a Second Class training session in a half hour.” 

Bleary aqua green eyes slitted open, blinking softly, before narrowing as his nose curled. “What’s that smell?” 

Cloud inhaled, not smelling anything but a slight burn as his eyes widened. “Shit!” he exclaimed, rushing back out of the room and down the hall. He slid in front of the stove as the entire pan was smoking from the bacon he had thrown in the batter, wincing as he pulled it off and tossed it into the sink. 

He flipped on the water on the sink as the burning hot pan sizzled and smoked as he tried to wash out the mess he had attempted. His heart was pounding as the nervousness of what he had to do today came back, feeling sick as he grabbed for the sponge to scrub at the pan. 

He scrubbed furiously at the pan, noticing Sephiroth out of the corner of his eye. The other was clothed in just black silk pants as he poured himself a cup of coffee. The nervousness only increased as the other was staring at him in suspicion. He had yet to say anything as he sat at the island in the kitchen, drinking his coffee black. 

Cloud slammed the ruined pan down in the sink, turning regretful eyes on Sephiroth as the other continued to stare. “I’ll buy you a new pan. I’m sorry...do you want something else? I can make rice...or toast. I can go down for bagels…” he winced. “No, we probably don’t have time for that because of your class.” He grabbed for his wet hair, towel sliding low on his hips as he tried to consider why he was freaking out so much over breakfast. 

Sephiroth took another drink of his coffee, lowering it slowly as his face was a mask of pain. “Why do you smell like that?” 

He felt his cheeks heat, gripping at his hair as he shook his head. “I just...I…” The words were going to piss Sephiroth off regardless, he didn’t know why he was trying to hide them. “I just took a bath.” 

The SOLDIER stared at him, eyes cold and reproachful. “In what exactly?” 

“They have that scented oil section in the store. You know like flowers and fruit and herbs… So I just grabbed one of everything and dumped the bottles in,” he explained, bouncing nervously on his toes. 

Sephiroth’s nose curled in disgust. “How many bottles?” 

Cloud winced, eyes falling to the floor. “All of them I think.” 

“Dare I ask why?” Sephiroth questioned, voice guarded but still curious. 

His cheeks heatened as he shifted from one foot to another. “Well cause last night..we...a few times and…” 

“You didn’t want to smell like me when you greet your lover?” Sephiroth asked, and there were knives in that tone. 

He flinched, looking up into icy eyes. “It’s not like that.” 

“What’s it like then?” Sephiroth questioned, mouth set in a stern line. “Tell me, precious.” 

Cloud shrugged. “Fine, it is like that. I’m not going to smell like you when I greet him at the train station when he’s been gone for over a month.” 

“Oh?” Sephiroth questioned, putting down his cup. “How do you intend to greet him, then?” He leaned forward. “And I’d be very careful how you answer that.” 

He frowned at his mate, crossing his arms over his chest. “I haven’t decided yet.” 

Sephiroth scoffed, looking away as he ran his hand through his hair. “You haven’t decided yet...of course you haven’t.” When he turned back the annoyed amusement was gone, and his face was a cold mask again. “Come here.” 

Cloud bit his bottom lip as he could feel his mate’s irritation from where he stood. Sighing in resignation, he moved closer to the stool Sephiroth sat in at the island. “I’m not going to fuck him, Sephiroth. He’s going to despise me the second he lays eyes on me.” 

“That's the only reason?” Sephiroth questioned, irritation thick on his tongue. 

The blond frowned at him. “No, it’s not the only reason.” 

“And if he takes you back?” his mate asked the question they had both been avoiding since Sephiroth had fucked him raw in that stairwell. 

“He won’t,” Cloud answered in pain. “How could he after what I did?” 

Sephiroth grinned sardonically. “You underestimate his benevolence. You also underestimate your effect on him.” 

“My effect on him?” Cloud question. “Like my effect on you?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “That why you’re with me, Sephiroth? My effect?” he bit out under his breath. 

“You wound me, Strife,” Sephiroth murmured mockingly, reaching out to grab his hips and yank him close. “Obviously, I’m here for the burnt eggs.” 

Cloud smiled in spite of himself, biting his lip again to hide how happy a simple act of affection could make him as Sephiroth’s large hands slid up his back. “They were going to be good eggs.” 

“Oh?” Sephiroth questioned mockingly. “I have no doubt,” he promised placatingly before pulling Cloud down to his lips. 

He melted, his head getting fuzzy like it always did when Sephiroth kissed him. Cloud keened into that kiss, arms wrapping around Sephiroth’s neck as he pressed between the alpha’s legs. Sephiroth’s hand came down to his front, working on the knot that kept his towel hanging loosely on his hips. It was then he remembered just why he had spent two hours soaking in brain tumor inducing oils. 

Cloud broke from the kiss, shoving at Sephiroth’s chest to keep him at a distance. “Stop, you’re going to make me smell.” 

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh Cloud, let me be the first to assure you that you do smell. I got a pounding headache the second you came into our room.” 

“I told you why—” he started, but Sephiroth interrupted. 

“You told me,” he agreed. “But did you think it through?” 

Cloud frowned at his mate, knowing full well the other was going to make him regret the question. “Meaning what?” 

“Meaning…” Sephiroth reached up, thumb pressing against Cloud’s chin to slightly open his mouth. “How many times did you brush your teeth? Did you gargle those oils as well?” Cloud’s eyes became heavy as his breathing sped up at the implication. “Or did you forget how we started last night?” Cloud squirmed as Sephiroth pulled him close. “It’s one of my favorite things to see...your mouth stretched around me...trying so hard to keep up with what goes so easily inside you.” 

“Sephiroth…” Cloud moaned out a beg, eyebrows knitting in repressed frustration as he shut his legs tight together as arousal swept through him. “Don’t.” 

“Don’t what?” Sephiroth asked with amused cruelty. “Where else did you wash? Surely between your legs, right?” 

Cloud reached down to block Sephiroth’s hand as it slid up his thigh. “I said stop. You’re going to make me…” 

“I’ll help you scrub if you need me to. Make sure we get as deep as I went last night.” Cloud moaned before he could help himself, cock hardening against the towel as wetness seeped between his thighs. 

Sephiroth threw his head back as Cloud’s arousal filled the air, and when his head slowly came back his eyes were glowing as his teeth grew sharp. “Shall we remind you?” 

“Wait…” Cloud tried as hands wrapped around his hips, lifting him easily with the strength the SOLDIER possessed. He moaned as he was placed onto the island, Sephiroth ripping away the towel as he leaned down to take the hardening cock into his mouth. 

Cloud cried out as that mouth engulfed him. His hands shoved in Sephiroth’s hair on instinct to push him away, but his resolve crumbled at the way that tongue wrapped the length of him, sliding him all the way down his throat. “Sephiroth!”

Because they never did this…

There was never a need. Cloud got wet the second Sephiroth touched him. It was almost unfair how sensitive he was when it came to the alpha. He had irrevocably been consumed by Sephiroth to his soul. He wanted to make him breakfast. He wanted to wake up next to him. He wanted to make him happy, and make all those fucks that just looked at him like Shinra property eat the pavement. 

Cloud’s mouth was open, a needy whine leaving him as he was hefted forward. He clung to the back of Sephiroth’s hair as his legs were thrown over the other’s back as he practically sat on his shoulders as Sephiroth’s mouth moved over his length. 

He shut his eyes in pleasure, trying not to be too loud as his stomach tightened in ecstasy. He did scream when a tongue pressed into his slit. His entrance convulsed in need, wanting his alpha. Needing to be claimed as his body was on fire.

“Wait…” he begged, trying to rip Sephiroth’s face away, gasping as he was lifting even higher on top of those shoulders as he pressed down his lover’s throat. His toes curled, heels pressed into the alpha’s back as he came so hard he nearly whited out, empting down that throat as Sephiroth swallowed everything as Cloud’s nails clutched into his scalp. 

Sephiroth lowered Cloud back onto the counter, and the blond yanked him to him the second his hips pressed down. He lapped at Sephiroth’s mouth the second their lips touched, tasting himself as he spread his legs, reaching to paw at the silk. 

He actually growled at Sephiroth when his wrists were grabbed and pressed to the counter. His eyes were glowing blue as he glowered up at his lover. “Sephiroth…” 

“No,” Sephiroth spoke, voice a calm indifference for what they had just done. “That will make you smell.” 

Cloud’s mouth dropped open in shock as the island was now covered in his slick as he stared incredulously at his mate. “Don’t tease.” 

“I’m not teasing, Cloud. I have a class to teach, and you went to an awful lot of trouble to make sure you didn’t smell like my cum.” 

It was a punishment then. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he tried, trying to yank his wrists out of Sephiroth’s grasp as he laid splayed in front of the other with his legs spread and willing. 

“You did,” Sephiroth assured him. “Consider this, my beautiful Omega, if you behave...tonight I’ll give you what you want.” Sephiroth’s eyes roamed down his body, and Cloud spread his legs wider to please his mate. “Betray me...I won’t fuck you for a week. I’d threaten for longer, but...well…” Sephiroth seemed distracted, mouth open in a pant of arousal, as Cloud shifted his hips in his slick. “It would be a lie.” 

“Now,” Cloud argued, teeth gritted at the threat. “Please…” he made his voice a panted beg. “Sephiroth…” He knew he shouldn’t even before he said it. He remembered the look of betrayal Zack had shot him back in Nibelheim when he did it, but he wanted Sephiroth. “Alpha…” He made his voice that teasing command. 

The one that made alphas obey. 

Sephiroth’s eyes widened at that, and Cloud’s did as well as he wasn’t listening. He was now just glaring at the audacity. “Who do you think you are exactly, huh?” Cloud moaned as he was yanked forward so that his ass was hanging off the island, Sephiroth’s clothed erection pressed against him. “You think you’re my master, Omega?” He began to move his hips, gripping Cloud’s own hard enough to bruise. “You do not command me...despite how they may want you to.” 

Cloud grunted as he was yanked up to sitting, mouth gritting in pain as teeth sunk down onto his neck. He gasped, feeling his entrance convulse as he came again, actually crying with the amount of pleasure and emptiness as he didn’t have his alpha inside of him as his entrance spasmed. Blood dripped down the back of his bare back as Sephiroth pulled back, mouth coated in blood. 

“Has anyone ever told you no?” Sephiroth asked, grabbing for his hands as Cloud once more tried to paw Sephiroth’s pants down. “Zack did, didn’t he? Perhaps that’s why you long for him.” He tilted his head as he watched Cloud. “I never told you no. I never had the strength to, and look what’s become of you.” Sephiroth leaned in, clashing their mouths as blood spread across Cloud’s face. He pulled back, and he knew he was a mess as Sephiroth kissed his cheek. “I’d take another bath if I were you...but don’t take too long. Zack’s waiting.”  
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N- So this was supposed to be Cloud and Zack’s reunion chapter...but other things happened. So I figure I would split the chapter so that it didn’t get too long. Which means next chapter is going to be sooo hard to write...but I have a definitive plan to have Zack Fair get what he deserves...which is the world. Hopefully unless my brain messes things up. Also...Sephiroth and Cloud being domestic was just too cute not to share. Hope you enjoyed! I’ll try to update ASAP. Hopefully I’m not flooding you with too many chapters at once.


	18. This is the Way the World Ends

Chapter 18: This is the Way the World Ends 

Cloud pulled at the scarf at his neck self-consciously, knowing it wouldn’t stop Zack from seeing the still bleeding wound from when Sephiroth had re-opened his mark. His stomach was knotted in anxiety as he realized that this was it. 

The end.

He would finally get what he deserved. Which was losing the best thing that ever happened to him. It’s not as if he had a choice at this point. He would say Sephiroth had taken away the choice for him, but he had known what was going to happen when he followed the Alpha out of that room.

Sephiroth had just helped ease his conscience.

They both deserved better. Yet, they were attached to him now. They were forced to play Hojo’s fucked up game because of him now. Sephiroth had martyred himself. He had bit him, but there was still hope for Zack. 

If he had to hurt him to keep that hope alive, then he’d do so gladly if it meant Zack could get away from all of this. There was just one more hurdle. One more bit of excruciating pain to endure, and he would be okay. No more guns pointed at his back. No more risk of dying. He would have to hurt him. He would have to hurt him to save him. 

It was selfish in a way. A cop out. He wouldn’t keep playing them both though. He couldn’t when it meant that they would both suffer to please him. Why? Because he was an Omega? Did that forgive all of his sins because he could give them pleasure? Wasn’t it about more? Wasn’t it about love? They both claimed to love him, but they didn’t know…

He had his memories. Sephiroth had made sure of that, and he didn’t deserve their love. He never had. It was only a matter of time before they realized it. That Sephiroth had been his mark. That he had begged Hojo to let him, because of the children they would create. 

He had begged that monster to be bred, and the scientist had told him to make it happen. It made him sick to think about now when he knew Sephiroth. The SOLDIER was vulnerable...lonely...he had been used all of his life, and Cloud hadn’t hesitated in forcing his way in and using him even further. 

Zack though. Zack had been chosen from the part of him that could claim to be human, and not raised by Hojo. He had been his salvation. His friend. His choice when he hadn’t known anything except how he had felt towards a boy. It was the only good thing he had ever done in his life, and even in that he had failed. He had ruined the SOLDIER for anyone else. He had bit him...and now he had to do whatever he could to set him free. 

Cloud wore his trooper uniform to the station, even though the closest he had come to training in almost a month was Sephiroth teaching him how to deepthroat. 

He wanted Zack to see him like this though. Like he was still worth something. Like he hadn’t been reduced to seeing whether or not he could take Sephiroth’s seed, and how best he could benefit Shinra. Zack had always believed in him, and he wanted that to continue. One last time. 

The train was a few minutes late as he paced in front of the station. His stomach was swimming in nerves as he remembered the morning with Sephiroth. He remembered his words on behaving. Did he honestly expect him to do that? Did he honestly expect him to have been parted with Zack for over a month and somehow not take every opportunity he could get? 

Cloud paced around the station, waiting in impatience and nerves for the Alpha to emerge. Endless other troopers had already left the train, but the SOLDIER was still missing. He frowned, worried that the bastards had done something to him. What if they had hurt him? 

President Shinra had sworn he wouldn’t. He had behaved and done what was asked of him. Cloud began to panic as he waited, heart clenching in his chest when he saw black spikes finally emerge. 

Relief and longing flowed through him as he found himself running before he could help himself. It didn’t matter that they were in the middle of the station, and that anyone could see. It didn’t matter that Sephiroth’s scent would be on him despite the amount of baths he took, or how he covered the mark. He wanted this one last time. 

Before even letting Zack respond, Cloud flung himself at the First Class SOLDIER. Zack’s eyes widened in surprise for only a moment, before catching Cloud as he flew midair to cling his legs around his hip bones. Zack caught him easily, the other’s strength not even bothered as he clung to him. 

“Spike wha—” Zack tried, but Cloud interrupted as he pressed his mouth forward. Cloud wrapped his arms desperately around Zack’s neck, sighing in pleasure as the SOLDIER kissed him despite what it might look like to everyone around them. He’d give him anything, wouldn’t he? When it all came down to it. If he was selfish enough...and if asked Sephiroth...he could probably get Zack to stay. 

Cloud started crying the instant he felt Zack’s spine stiffen. He felt his heart break as nails unconsciously dug into his hips as he was ripped away from that mouth. He was ripped away from those lips he would probably never get the chance to kiss again. 

He buried his face in Zack’s chest as the other stood stalk still, clinging tighter to him as he could feel the anger radiating off of him. “Cloud?” Zack managed, and Cloud could hear the barely repressed fury in his tone. “Get off me.” 

It felt like he had been struck as he slowly nodded against that chest, inhaling the scent of the raw battlefield from his skin before placing both of his feet on the ground. He managed to step back two feet, before his spikes were grabbed and ripped back to look into furious violet eyes. 

“Welcome back, Zack,” Cloud managed hollowly as he tried to memorize every detail of his face before he never saw it again. 

“You smell…” Zack started, rubbing at his mouth in disgust. “You reek.” 

“Of Sephiroth,” Cloud admitted hollowly. “Zack…” 

“Don’t,” Zack sneered. “Don’t you dare lie to me right now.” He placed a hand at his forehead, and Cloud’s heart broke at the look of pain that came over his face. 

Cloud stood there, all the carefully rehearsed speeches leaving his head as he wiped at his eyes. The people around them continued with the usual bustle, ignoring the fact that the floor was turning molten around them. “I went into heat,” he tried to explain. “You weren’t there.” 

Zack’s face was blank as he watched him, fingers rubbing absently at his mouth as if he could wipe off that kiss Cloud had forced upon him. “No. I was sent away...because they wanted me out of the way…” he mused, a horrified deadness in his tone. 

“Probably,” Cloud agreed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I couldn’t handle it…” He stopped himself, so sick of making excuses for his actions. Especially when they had such strong implications. “I wanted him,” he started, grabbing his stomach in pain. “I wanted him...and yeah I was in heat...but that wasn’t all. You were gone, and I’m not a good person.” 

“So you fucked him?” Zack questioned, his voice low and guarded. “After promising me it wouldn’t happen again?” He scoffed, looking away as the station was clearing out. “I’m such an idiot.” 

“You’re not!” Cloud argued, looking around to see if he had caught any attention at his outburst “You’re not an idiot. I should have told you.” 

“I suppose you’re telling me now,” Zack surmised bitterly, looking over at Cloud. “So tell me. Do you love him? Do you love my best friend?” 

Cloud wiped at his eyes, hurting too much to feel foolish as hated the way Zack’s persona was hurt and guarded. “I love you,” he managed. “It may be too late, but I love you.” 

Zack didn’t even react to the admission, clearly too used to hearing the excuses flow from Cloud’s tongue. “Do you love him?” he asked again. 

Cloud shifted, guiltily, turning pleading eyes up towards the SOLDIER. “Does it matter?” 

“It matters,” Zack assured him breathlessly. “Of course it matters.” 

“I—” He opened his mouth to admit to loving his Alpha...his mate. But it would just hurt him more, and Zack was wrong. It didn’t matter. Not anymore. Cloud reached up for his neck, pulling at the scarf to reveal the bloody mark. “It doesn’t matter.” 

Growling filled the air as the mark was revealed, and Cloud let out a whine as his body reacted to it. “He bit you?” Zack growled, voice a dark tempest. “You let him bite you?” 

Cloud’s eyes were wide as Zack surged forward, going to grab him in the middle of the train station before someone stepped in his way. 

He blinked at the back of the black suit jacket, recognizing the long dark hair that had stepped in-between him and the SOLDIER. “Zachary,” Tseng greeted. “How was your mission? I know Lazard will be eager to hear your report.” 

“Get out of my way,” Zack bit out, and Cloud could hear the anger in his tone, even if he hadn’t braved looking around the Turk to see it yet. 

“No,” Tseng stated simply. “Not that I don’t think he deserves your ire, but it would upset him.”

Cloud’s face heated in shame at the implication behind that statement. “Tseng you can go. I’m fine.” 

“You’re not,” Tseng argued. “Zachary. You will go report to Lazard for debriefing. Do you not know how to follow orders?” 

“I don’t give a fuck about orders right now,” Zack murmured, voice a mixture of curiousity and anger. “Why are you here?” 

“Orders. You see I, in fact, do know how to behave,” Tseng pointed out. “Cloud here was given to me as a special project. I’m to keep him calm.” 

“What?” Zack questioned, voice disgusted. “Are you serious? Why?” 

Cloud braved the SOLDIER’s wrath as he looked around Tseng’s back, meeting those burning violet eyes. “It doesn’t—”

“President Shinra’s orders,” Tseng looked back at him, face contorted with distaste. “He’s their special project.” 

Zack frowned at that as he seemed to be warring with himself. “Did they hurt you?” Cloud glared at the way Tseng rolled his eyes, instead focusing on the fact that even with everything Zack had found out, he had still asked after him. 

“It’s okay,” Cloud managed. “It’s not too bad...and to be honest...it’s not anything I’m not used to.” 

Zack nodded again, rubbing at his face before looking over at him. “Did they hurt you?” he repeated.

Cloud smiled despite himself, emotions bubbling over as he covered his mouth, slowly shaking his head as tears slid down his cheeks. They didn’t hurt Zack. That was the most important thing. 

Tseng sighed in disgust. “Listen. I know the both of you have issues. The entire station does by this point, but he gets stressed...he miscarries.” 

Shock ran through him as he looked over at Tseng, embarrassment being replaced by longing as his hands unconsciously went to his stomach. He met dark uncaring eyes as he raised an eyebrow. “I’m not.” 

“Aren’t you?” Tseng questioned, shrugging as he looked over at Zack. “It’s true...seems Sephiroth’s seed isn’t quite as potent as yours was.”

“Mine was?” Zack asked, pain in his tone as he shook his head. “I can’t hear any more of this.Spike, why are you letting them do this to you?” 

Blond eyebrows knitted as he considered it. “They’ve always done this to me,” he tried to explain. “Besides that year I knew you...there’s never been anything else. You were everything...Everything good I’ve ever had.” He looked away, biting his lip. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you met me.” 

“Cloud…” Tseng chastised as Cloud clung to his stomach. “We need to go to the lab, now.” 

Cloud shook his head, never looking away from Zack as he had to get this out. “Don’t you understand? Don’t you get it by now? It was always supposed to be him, but the part of me that was free...the part of me that had just a moment of hope chose you.” Tseng was glaring out of him out of the corner of his eye as he felt wetness slip down his legs. “I’m not free anymore. I remember what I am. ...And I won’t do this to you.” 

“Spare me,” Zack managed. “Spare me your pity. I wasn’t enough for you. I get it. I wasn’t strong enough to protect you...or our baby. You had to go to Sephiroth.” 

Blood dripped down his pant leg onto the floor, and Cloud fought to ignore it as he shook his head at Zack. “I can’t say that he wasn’t part of it...because he’s amazing. Of course you know he’s amazing, you’re friends with him.” 

Tseng cursed under his breath, grabbing for his arm. “The President is going to have my head.” He looked over at Zack. “I despise this kid. He’s made my life a nightmare this last month. But, I will say, he had your best interests at heart.” 

Zack swallowed hard, covering his mouth as he watched him. “Spike, why are you bleeding?” 

Cloud shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m fine.” He couldn’t concern himself when Cloud had lost his baby. He couldn’t concern himself when he was doing this to him. “Zack, I have to go. I’m sorry.” 

“What are you sorry for, baby?” Zack managed, motioning to Tseng at the small puddle of blood along his leg. 

“That you met me,” Cloud managed, stomach cramping. His chest heaved. “That you loved me.” Pain lanced up his body as he tried to continue. “That I couldn’t be what you wanted.” 

Zack frowned at him, walking over and seeming to ignore the warning look in Tseng’s eyes as he leaned down and swept him off his feet. “Shiva help me, you’re burning up.” Cloud didn’t understand what was happening, but his arms found their way around Zack’s neck as he clung to the other. 

He must have been pregnant. That’s what the blood meant, right? Just yet another thing he had failed at. Sephiroth would be so disappointed in him. “I wish it was you,” Cloud managed, wrapping his arms around Zack’s neck. 

The SOLDIER leaned down, lips trembling as they pressed to his forehead. “I wish it were me too, Spike. We gotta get you help now though, alright?” 

Cloud shook his head, inhaling the calming wild scent. He didn’t even give Zack the opportunity to properly get angry. He had taken even that away from him. “I’m fine.” 

“The fuck you are,” Tseng bit out coldly. “They’re going to kill me for this. They’ve been trying to get it to take for weeks.” 

“Get it to take?” Zack questioned the Turk. “You’re all a bunch of monsters. He’s just a kid. He doesn’t deserve this!” 

Tseng shook his head. “Doesn’t he? Even in this he manages to manipulate. You know, he could have taken the suppressants. He chose to go into heat when you weren’t here.” 

It was true, wasn’t it? He could have pressed Hojo for the meds. He had chosen on his own to walk out of that lab knowing full well the pain would get to him. Knowing full well that he already planned to submit. Cloud stared at the droplets of blood dripping off his boot. Tseng was right, even now he was letting his body dictate his choices from what was right to what was easy. 

Cloud pressed his hand against Zack’s chest, feeling the way it was racing with worry. “Put me down.” 

“Like hell,” Zack bit back, shaking his head. “We don’t know what could happen to you.” 

“It’s not your business,” Cloud managed, shoving at him. “Put me down.” 

Tseng cleared his throat. “Seems the brat wants to be put down.” 

Zack glowered at the Turk, arms tightening around him. “You think we should just let him go back to training bleeding?” 

The Turk shook his head. “I don’t think that at all. He’s not allowed to go to training any longer. Cloud here is a kept bitch.” 

Blond spikes fell over his eyes as he couldn’t bear to look at Zack as his hand tightened in shame in his sweater. “That’s right.” He used Zack’s distraction from the statement to wiggle out of those arms, getting his footing back as he swayed with the fever. “Sephiroth will be worried.” He refused to meet the Alpha’s eyes. “Why would I train when I got what I wanted?” 

Tseng scoffed, seeming to realize what was going on as he crossed his arms. “Let’s go Cloud. I’ll take you back to the apartment.” 

“You’re not taking him anywhere,” Zack spoke with barely repressed rage. “He’s bleeding all over the pavement!” 

“I’m fine,” Cloud tried.

“You’re not fine!” Zack yelled, throwing his hand out in exasperation. “None of this is fine! You being raised in a 10x10 room in a Shinra basement isn’t fine! Your memories being wiped from you for a game isn’t fine! The fact that my friend took you from me due to some hormonal impulse isn’t fine!” He shook his head in disgust. “And Shinra using you to breed...that’s not fine either.” 

Cloud looked down to hide the way his eyes were watering yet again. If he didn’t do this, Zack would still be in danger. He would have a target on his back. “I had him get rid of the baby,” he lied, arm wrapped around his stomach. “Yours. I had him take me off the suppressants. I told you I wasn’t a good person.” He forced himself to look up. “I’m not who you think I am...and I don’t really love you.” He remembered Zack’s anxiety after they had gotten together, knew exactly what could most hurt him. “I just wanted fucked...it didn’t matter who.” 

Zack’s mouth was set in a hard line, but his eyes were glossy as he stared him down. “You need to go to the infirmary.” 

Cloud scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re pathetic,” he managed, as his soul died inside. “Go find someone else to cling to.” He turned to Tseng then, pleading with his eyes to get him out of there as he felt like he was about 10 seconds from passing out from the pain. 

Tseng, even being the asshole that he was, seemed to realize what was happening as he grabbed him by the arm and leaned him against his body, looking back at Zack. “There are cameras everywhere. You realize that, don’t you? That he’s watched? That you can do better?” 

He heard the SOLDIER sigh. “Just get him help, alright? He’s in pain.” 

Cloud’s arm was yanked as Tseng pulled him away, and he didn’t have the heart to look back at Zack. If he looked back he would tell him that none of it was true. He would break down in apology for having hurt him. But Tseng was right, there were cameras. They were watching, and if Cloud cut ties with the SOLDIER, then maybe the bullseye on his back would go away. 

The second they were off the station platform and back inside, Tseng swept down to pick Cloud up. He would never admit how grateful he was as the pain in his stomach was beyond comprehension as sweat broke out across his brow. “Fuck, you’re stupid.” Tseng managed, rushing towards the elevator. “You’re going to go septic.” 

“No,” Cloud managed, grabbing shakily at his tie. “No. Don’t take me up there.” 

The Turk’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? Do you know what happens when literally the only pregnant male to ever exist starts to hemorrhage? Do you? Because I don’t.” 

“They’ll blame him,” Cloud knitted his eyebrows, pleading with his eyes as he panted with the pain. “They’ll kill him. They just want the baby...and he ruined that. They’ll kill him Tseng.” He shook his head in desperation. “We can just use materia to heal me. It won’t be bad. They probably didn’t see the blood on the cameras. How would they?” 

Tseng glared at him. “If you die they’ll kill me. They’ll kill my family. They’ll kill everyone I’ve ever loved.” 

Cloud nodded. “They will, but I won’t die. We can just use materia. Nobody has to know. They haven’t tested me today.” 

The Turk exhaled in resignation, before whisking him towards the stairs. “Fine.” 

~*~

Genesis glanced out of the corner of his eye as Sephiroth seemed...distracted. More than that. He seemed worried. They were co-teaching a class for the first years, and Sephiroth hadn’t looked up once from his phone as Genesis ran drills. 

The SOLDIER corrected a trainee’s form, walking over to the taller man. “Everything okay with Blondie?” Green eyes glared at him, turning off the phone as he looked up. Genesis grinned as the other couldn’t even pretend to give a shit about this class. “Zack gets home today, doesn’t he?” 

Sephiroth frowned at him, and Genesis could practically feel that ire leaking from his skin. “Mind your business.” 

The SOLDIER grinned at his friend, shaking his head. “Sorry, this really sucks. Either way you lose one of them, right? Or both?” 

“I can just feel the sympathy radiating off of you,” Sephiroth murmured. “When did you gain such benevolence? Was it when you were in Nibelheim once a month keeping my mate company?” 

Genesis shrugged. “I told you why. It’s not fair that you’re the only one that gets one.” 

“He’s a person,” Sephiroth reminded him. “I didn’t just ‘get’ him.” 

“No?” Genesis questioned. “You won him over by all your own merit, did you? 

“Do you have a point?” Sephiroth bit out with a glare. 

“My point is...it’s gotta suck for you right now. I was trying to be your friend...probably your last friend by now.” He looked down at his watch. “Zack got home an hour ago.” Genesis saw the look of pain travel across Sephiroth’s face, and he knew that Sephiroth was more than aware of when that train was due in. 

“What’s to say he won’t choose him?” Genesis raised an eyebrow at the obvious insecurities that Sephiroth had. 

“Seph…” Genesis started softly. “Are you crazy?” He shifted uneasily, not sure of how much to divulge. “Don’t you see the way Blondie looks at you?” 

Sephiroth scoffed. “Like I forced this on him? Yeah, I see.” 

Genesis laughed before he could stop himself, quieting at Sephiroth’s glare. “Oh...you were serious.” 

“You…” Genesis looked around. “You know...you’ve met him before, right? When he came to Shinra...like seven years ago?” 

Sephiroth looked over at him in question. “What are you talking about? I’ve never met Cloud.” 

Genesis made a face as he shrugged, about to come clean about Sephiroth’s altered memories before someone came flying through the air at them. 

“You bastard!” Genesis cringed as Zack’s voice filtered through the air as he tackled Sephiroth back on the training mat. 

Sephiroth raised his arms to block his face as fist after fist wailed down upon him. He was defending himself, but he wasn’t attacking Zack back. “How could you do this to him?” 

Him…

Genesis shook his head. Zack was only thinking about Cloud even now. ...The stupid bastard. 

“Why would you play into their hands!? Why would you make him exactly what they wanted him to be!?” Zack’s voice was raw, filled with pain. “He will never be anything other than what Hojo made him to be... We did this to him.” 

Genesis glowered at the training class who seemed ready to step in and help, holding his hand up to still them. 

“You didn’t do anything,” Sephiroth absolved him. “You didn’t know.” 

“Didn’t know?” Zack questioned. “Sure...Sure I didn’t. Didn’t know when I smelt him that first time in Northern mountains. Didn’t know that first time he slept over after game night and had a wet dream where he actually got wet.” Zack grabbed at his dark spikes, seated on Sephiroth’s lap. “Certainly didn’t know that night down in the slums, did I? I’m just as guilty as you are. He’s a fucking unsocialized lab experiment designed to give us pleasure, and that’s on me as much as you for taking advantage!” 

“He consented,” Sephiroth pointed out. “You don’t have to feel guilt.” 

“The fuck I don’t,” Zack managed, and Genesis winced as he punched Sephiroth in the cheek. Blood sprayed across the mat as he glared down the troopers who looked nervous enough to piss themselves. 

He needed a drink after this. 

“You know what’s really hard about this, Seph?” Zack questioned, cupping each side of Sephiroth’s face as he leaned down. “You were my best friend. I loved you the most.” Zack broke down then, face encapsulating pain as he covered his eyes. “Fuck…” he managed, and Genesis winced as Zack spit in Sephiroth’s face before getting up and stalking out of the room. 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I warred with myself on how Zack would react. I wanted to get really angry and bitch Cloud out...but in the end...he wouldn't do that. So hopefully you enjoyed and it wasn't too misrepresentative of his character. Also, I'm debating doing a oneshot prequel to what I hinted at.


	19. Adventures in Wallmarket

Chapter 19: Adventures in Wallmarket 

Sephiroth hadn’t been home in almost a week. Cloud was all but in isolation, but even he heard about what had happened. Everyone had. Sephiroth and Zack had gotten into a fight in the middle of a training class. Two SOLDIER First Classes battling it out over a girl. ...His gender had gotten transposed within the rumor mill. Not that it mattered he supposed, what with the fact that his only apparent use in this world was to carry Sephiroth’s seed. 

He had tried to call Zack. Every call had gone to voicemail, and after the 50th attempt he had taken the hint. It didn’t help that they were now staying on the same floor. Cloud was too scared to leave Sephiroth’s suite for much besides occasional meals with Reno. What would he say if he saw him? How much hate would be in Zack’s eyes when he looked at him? 

He didn’t know what was going through Sephiroth’s head. He didn’t answer his phone either. It felt like a punishment. Of course he deserved it, but he hadn’t been away from him for this long since they had mated. Especially not when he was…

Cloud’s head snapped up to the door as he heard the lock, shifting from his spot on the recliner as he weakly pressed up to sitting. He looked down at himself in horror as he was in an oversized t-shirt and boxers. His hand went to the disaster that was his hair as he tried to ruffle up his spikes, wondering faintly when the last time he showered was. 

Blue eyes were locked on the door as it opened to reveal the silver haired general. “Seph,” he tried not to let the neediness come through in his voice, but he figured he had probably failed at the amused look he received at the greeting. “Where were you?” Had he left because of him? Did he ruin it with them both? Cloud rubbed at his messy hair again, resisting the urge to smell himself as he sat on the edge of the chair. Sephiroth was in a suit. He frowned at the outfit as Sephiroth loosened the black tie. “What are you wearing?” 

Sephiroth scoffed in irritation at the question, slipping off the black suit coat as he toed off his dress shoes and came over. “Does my appearance displease you?” The Alpha frowned at him before reaching out and feeling his forehead. “You’re clammy...you look terrible.” 

Cloud frowned at that, pulling back from the other as he glared at the insult. “I’ll go shower.” 

Sephiroth caught him before he could push up out of the chair, arms wrapping around him as he sank into the leather recliner, dragging him back so he was sitting on his lap, legs hanging over the side as he pressed against the Alpha. “Are you sick?” 

He shook his head, instantly calming now that Sephiroth was back as he shifted to get more comfortable. He lay along Sephiroth’s side, arms wrapping casually around his waist as he laid his head on his shoulder. “I’m fine. Just tired.” He squeezed tighter, not realizing how exhausted he really was as he breathed in Sephiroth’s scent. “I was worried you weren’t going to come back.”

The Alpha scoffed, hand spanning up the back of his shirt to rub at his back. “Why is that?”

“Because…” Cloud frowned, lifting up his head and flinching at the absolute chilled look his mate was giving him. 

“Because?” Sephiroth questioned. “Because you jumped Zack like a bitch in heat the second he got off that station? Or is it the fact that you then disappeared for over a day causing me to have to explain to the President of Shinra why I not only had a black eye, but that I had misplaced the Omega that swore to behave in order to keep his boyfriend alive?” 

Cloud bit his lip, not ready to give an explanation on why he hadn’t gone to the lab after the fight...or for almost a week. Tseng was running interference. “I just wanted to say good-bye to him. As you can see I’m in your apartment.” 

“Yes, you’re here,” Sephiroth mused. “I just wish I wasn’t.” 

He flinched at that, eyes narrowing at the other and reacting without thinking as he punched his shoulder. “Don’t talk to me like that!” he bit out. “You didn’t pick up your phone to even bother to tell me what was going on. I’m not going to apologize for kissing him. I’m not going to apologize for misbehaving, because I’m not your pet to scold.” Cloud slid off Sephiroth’s lap, knowing he was being a bit irrational right now, but not able to help it as his hands clenched at his sides as Sephiroth stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “I know you want to go on missions...and get out of headquarters. So do I!” 

“I was on a mission,” Sephiroth murmured. “I was helping the Turks as a favor. It was of a sensitive nature, and so I couldn’t have my phone. You’re not my pet, which is why I didn’t punish you for the kiss. I do feel suffocated in headquarters, and I want this to be over.” 

“You want what to be over?” Cloud questioned, deflated as Sephiroth had an answer for everything. 

Sephiroth glanced up towards the ceiling to where Cloud knew a camera had been installed. “Everything. I want you to be safe.” Cloud dropped his eyes, not able to stop the fond smile from coming to his face at the words. Who would have thought the General of Shinra would ever be able to be so sweet? 

“Come take a shower with me?” Cloud suggested, still not able to look up as his anxiety ran rampant. 

Sephiroth sighed at the invitation. “No,” he managed simply, causing Cloud’s head to snap back up. 

“No?” he asked incredulously. “What do you mean no?”

His mate actually laughed at whatever he saw on his face as he reached up to his neck to undo his tie and unbutton the top button. “It’s been six days.” 

“Yeah Sephiroth,” Cloud agreed. “I’m very aware of how long it’s been.” 

“I told you a week,” Sephiroth pointed out slowly. “As I said, it’s only been six days.” 

“You told me a week?” Cloud questioned, mouth dropping slightly as he remembered now. Sephiroth told him he wouldn’t fuck him for a week if he misbehaved. “It was just a kiss.” 

“My apologies, should I have specified the terms so you weren’t under the impression that kissing someone else is fine?” 

Cloud crossed his arms as he glowered at his lover. “How did you even know about it?” he shifted awkwardly. “Did he tell you when he was…” 

“Kicking the shit out of me?” Sephiroth supplied helpfully. “No, he didn’t tell me.” He pulled out his phone, scrolling before hitting play on a video and turning it for Cloud to see. 

Blue eyes widened at the video clearly showing him leaping at Zack, his cheeks heating in horror. “Where did you get that?” he demanded. 

“I did a favor for the Turks, they did a favor for me.” Sephiroth moved the video along to when he had almost collapsed, and Zack had scooped him up. “What happened to you here? You see...I get the kiss. I don’t like it, but I understand it. However, that should have been the end of it, shouldn’t it have? Yet, he picks you up. Why?” 

Cloud’s mind ran a mile a minute as he tried to decipher how much Sephiroth might know as his face was the usual mask. He debated what strategy to take now that the alpha was aware that something had happened to him. He could lie...but could they lie to each other? They connected on a cellular level. Sephiroth was going to find out. 

“I need to tell you something,” Cloud decided on, shifting nervously as he kept glancing around the room to where he knew they were no doubt on camera. “Shower with me?” he asked, pleading with his eyes for his mate to understand, glancing nervously towards the ceiling. 

Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, nodding slowly as he got up. Long deft fingers began unbuttoning the white shirt, slipping it off of those toned shoulders as he draped it over a chair. “Very well.” Cloud became distracted as his eyes glanced down towards the trail of silver leading into the black pants Sephiroth had started to unbutton. “Come here,” he commanded, and Cloud tried not to show his eagerness as he eagerly padded forward. Sephiroth reached down, grabbing the hem of Cloud’s shirt and dragging it up over his head as Cloud obediently raised up his arms. 

Sephiroth leaned down then, wrapping his arms around the small of his back and lifting him up. Cloud gave a helpful push, one leg wrapping around his waist, and sighing in pleasure as the SOLDIER leaned in to claim his lips. 

Cloud became lost in the kiss as Sephiroth carried him across the bedroom towards the bathroom, moaning as their tongues entwined and he realized how much he had missed the SOLDIER. He realized how much it upset him when he didn’t know if they were fighting. He realized that he had come to rely on Sephiroth more than he had thought possible. 

The SOLDIER set him on the sink, pulling away with one last kiss to his lips as he turned to start the steam shower. Shinra really did like to spoil their favorite Alpha. Sephiroth came back over to him, and Cloud lifted up his hips as hands came to the waistband of his boxers before pulling them down and off. “Start talking.” 

Cloud arched an eyebrow, shifting his legs open as he watched his mate. “You have me naked and you want me to talk?” 

“Do you think I haven’t seen you naked before?” Sephiroth questioned. “It’s an impressive sight, I’ll give you that, but you have one more day before you get something like that from me.” 

He shut his legs, embarrassed at the dismissive tone when he was half hard from just the kiss. “You’re being a prick.” 

“My apologies again, Cloud. Please tell me how you would like for me to behave. One knows I was put on this life to please you despite your own actions.” Sephiroth bit out cruelly, slipping down the dress pants. 

Cloud dragged his legs up to his chin, arms wrapping around it. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” 

“You did though,” Sephiroth pointed out, shaking his head. “I’m aware of my culpability in the situation between the three of us. I know what he thinks of me now, and I know that I stole you from him deliberately. But whatever was between you and him, that’s done now. I will not share you.” 

He hopped down from the sink, grabbing for Sephiroth’s hand as he pulled him into the shower. Cloud sighed in pleasure as the waterfall spray fell down upon their heads, and he leaned up to press his lips against Sephiroth’s cheek. “I’m sorry.” 

Aqua green eyes looked down into his, helping him tilt his head back as his spikes flattened down on his head. “Why this time?” 

“On that platform. It was wrong of me to kiss him. Wrong for all three of us, and I will work on letting go. But I loved him first...so it’s not that easy.” His hands traveled up Sephiroth’s wet torso, pressing against his chest as he glanced up into his eyes. “Something happened on the platform.” 

Cloud reached out nervously then as Sephiroth was watching him in suspicion as he dragged his alpha’s hand to his stomach. “I almost lost our baby.” 

He watched a range of emotions travel across Sephiroth’s face. Cloud held his breath as shock covered his features, his eyes actually glossing slightly, before they narrowed again in suspicion. “Our...baby?” 

He smiled, placing another hand over the one on his stomach. “I confirmed it...well Tseng helped me confirm it. He’s maybe not as big of a dick as I previously thought.” 

“Tseng?” Sephiroth asked in suspicion, his voice far away and almost confused. 

“It’s a long story, but we can trust him in this. Hojo doesn’t know,” Cloud pointed out, seeing the way Sephiroth was staring almost disbelievingly down at their combined hands on his belly. 

“Our baby?” Sephiroth asked again, and Cloud gave a slight laugh at the far away tone. “Yeah...Are you happy? Is it too much?” He began to babble in his nervousness. “I know we knew something like this could happen, but it’s also kind of life changing. Also I know I was basically forced on you in a weird way...and that this puts us in danger. But…” 

Sephiroth leaned down, burying his face into Cloud’s neck where the mating mark was and shuddering against him as arms came to wrap shakily around him to pull him close. “Your smell has changed.” 

Cloud smiled at the far away tone in Sephiroth’s voice, his fingertips tracing up his spine as he vaguely considered the fact that the hot water was going to run out soon. “Yeah, probably. Are you...Are you okay?” 

“You’re sick...You almost lost it,” Sephiroth seemed to be thinking out loud, voice filled with raw emotion. “If we tell them they’ll hurt you...They’ll experiment on my mate and child.” Arms tightened around him. “If we don’t tell them and run...What if something goes wrong? 

The blond pulled back to see Sephiroth’s face was contorted in pain, not knowing how to read it as he thought he would have been happy. “Sephiroth?” 

“Why weren’t we using protection?” Sephiroth asked, voice almost panicked. “We knew the stakes. We knew what would happen if it took.” 

A coldness traveled through his spine then, arms wrapping around his torso as he stepped back out of the spray. “I’m sorry.” 

The worry clearly going through Sephiroth was interrupted as he stepped away. “No Cloud, I didn’t mean it like that.” Sephiroth reached for him, but Cloud avoided the arms as he stepped out of the shower and grabbed for a towel. 

“You should really stay in longer. Your hair will tangle if you don’t wash it,” Cloud mumbled, feeling Sephiroth’s eyes on him. “I’m not going to stay here in your penthouse to please an old sadistic man.” Cloud glanced over at his mate. “So you can help me figure this out and keep it from them, or you can continue to be their experiment.” 

“Are those my two choices?” Sephiroth questioned, leaning over to shut off the spray. Cloud reached over to turn on the sink in case they were listening. Sephiroth grabbed for a towel to wrap around his hips, stepping closer. “And if we run, and something happens like what happened at the train station, what then?” 

“I told you we were able to save the ba—” 

“I’m worried about you!” Sephiroth yelled, and Cloud cringed back in shock as he had never heard Sephiroth raise his voice before, let alone express such anger. “Do you have any idea what you mean to me? What it’s been like to have you here? I’ve never had this kind of normal before. I’ve never done anything with my life other than what they told me to. I studied what they wanted, I killed who they wanted, and I fucked who they wanted me to.” Sephiroth shook his head. “Even if you’re just another assignment, you make me feel human. You make me feel like maybe I don’t have to be alone.” He reached up, pressing fingers against his temple. “So I took you from him. I took you, and it was selfish. He would have done better with you. He wouldn’t hesitate in taking you away from this place.” 

Cloud’s heart was racing as Sephiroth poured more emotion out than he had ever heard him express before. He was scared, and he was lonely. They were the same. He moved forward, smiling at him as he reached out to entwine their fingers. “You know...If being mated to an amnesia prone science experiment who is a boy but is also somehow having a child is your idea of normal, we really need to help fix your view on the world.” 

“I adore you,” Sephiroth spoke, voice pained as he squeezed his hand. “I can’t lose you. We have to tell them.” 

“Sephiroth…” Cloud tried with a frown. 

“It’ll kill you. I can feel it. It’ll kill you because the universe would not be kind enough to give me a family,” Sephiroth surmised, and Cloud realized just how little he had had in this world, despite all Shinra threw at him to keep him happy.

“I hate them for what they did to you,” Cloud breathed out. “What they did to us both.” He stepped forward, arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him close. “I’m not going to leave you.” He realized what Sephiroth must have been going through when he set him off to meet Zack, knowing full well that he still loved him...that he might leave him. He had let him go anyways. 

Cloud thought about what they could do to get out of this situation. “Genesis and I found a lab in Wutai, remember? They were researching Omega pregnancy.” 

Sephiroth’s nose curled as disgust came over his face. “You can’t be suggesting we join Wutai?” 

“Why?” Cloud questioned right back. “You think they’re worse than Shinra? But no...that’s not what I meant. I just meant, if they had notes, then surely Hojo kept some?” he prodded. “The Nibelheim lab...there was so much research. If that’s where I was raised, then there has to be answers there.” 

“Perhaps not answers we want to know, did you ever consider that?” the SOLDIER questioned. “It didn’t end well for us last time we went.” 

“Didn’t it?” Cloud mused, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Prior to Nibelheim, Zack and I were together.” 

“Yes, you were together as you were sneaking into my room,” Sephiroth murmured bitterly. 

Guilt ate at him as he shook his head in the face of Sephiroth’s ire. “I’m not a good person.” 

“No,” Sephiroth agreed almost instantaneously. “You’re not, but that’s okay, because I’m not either.” 

“Can we try it my way?” Cloud asked, ignoring the jipe. “It’s not like I’m far along. If we can’t figure it out we can go to Hojo, alright?” He cupped both sides of Sephiroth’s face as he leaned up. “Please?” 

Sephiroth frowned at the plea. “It’s a bad idea. It’s risky, and you may not like what you find there.” 

“You’ll be there,” Cloud pointed out. “You can keep us safe. No risks...if it gets too bad I promise you I won’t even put up a fight to go to the 65th floor.” 

“Swear,” Sephiroth bit out, fingers dragging through his wet spikes. “Promise me on the life our baby that when it comes down to it you won’t push the issue?” 

Cloud knitted his eyebrows, laying their foreheads together as he tried to open up the connection between them so that Sephiroth could feel his sincerity. “Our baby...does it make you happy?” 

“Exceedingly so,” Sephiroth breathed, and Cloud felt his legs go weak as he was met with a rush of lovedesireneedterror through their bond. 

“I promise then,” Cloud breathed out, kissing him softly. “I’ll listen if you think it’s too dangerous.” He smiled at him, grabbing his hand to drag him towards the bedroom after grabbing for a brush. “Now come on...I’ll brush those tangles out of your hair.”   
~*~

Zack tapped on the bar to order another whiskey. Admittingly, at this point he had probably had too many. Yet, his mother hadn’t raised him to be a quitter. He figured at this point he might as well just finish the whole bottle. He upturned his current glass, feeling his head sway as the music in the Wallmarket bar began to lull him. He might have to spend the night down here. He didn’t know if he would be able to drive his bike back up to the plate. 

Not that he was overly eager to go back to Headquarters. He had another week of R&R before he was sent out on another assignment, and that meant another week of avoiding checking on Cloud. ...Another week of avoiding killing the entire executive floor. He figured the army they ran might frown on that. 

It’s not that he wasn’t willing to die for Cloud. He would in an instant. All he ever wanted was to be a hero. But killing them now before he knew how to help his chocobo butt haired blond would defeat the purpose. 

Zack smiled at the pretty brunette bartender who poured him another, raising up the glass as the fresh ice clinked. He had to let him go, didn’t he? He had told himself once before that Sephiroth deserved this, but then he hadn’t had the strength to walk away. He had gotten back together with Cloud knowing full well it was already over. 

Maybe it was part of his masochistic nature? Maybe it was his inability to let go? People broke up. Relationships weren’t forever, and that was just a lesson he was going to have to learn. Though, he really wished he couldn’t practically feel the omega every time he rubbed the scar on his neck. 

It’s not as if he hadn’t known when he had left for a month what he was coming home to. It’s not as if he couldn’t hear it in Cloud’s tone of voice. However, it had been a long train ride home, and like an idiot, he had let himself hold out hope. 

Well, just because he had lost, didn’t mean he had to like it. He needed to pick himself up by his bootstraps, and figure out just what was going on with this Omega situation. However, that was future Zack’s problem. For the present, there was just booze. 

He was distracted from his maudlin musings as someone sank down onto the stool next to him, and he glanced over with a frown as he recognized the spiky red hair. “What are you doing here?” If his voice was slightly slurred, he was going to choose to ignore it. 

“Stalking,” Reno said easily, eyes glued on an area across the room. 

“Stalking?” Zack questioned, mind a little muddled as he went to pour himself a drink, frowning as Reno grabbed the bottle to chug it back instead. “Hey…” 

“Trust me, you’ve had enough,” Reno assured him, but he poured Zack another glass anyway. The redhead was dressed in tight ripped black jeans and a red tank top. He looked like any thug you would find working in Corneo’s district. 

“Are you here on a job?” He had heard how quickly Cloud’s friend was rising amongst the ranks. It probably didn’t hurt who his cousin was, but rumor has it the brat had a talent for solving problems. 

Reno shook his head. “Personal,” he motioned with his chin towards the corner. 

Zack followed his line of sight to see the room was now filled with Turks surrounding the VIP lounge. “Rufus Shinra?” the SOLDIER questioned, seeing the blond party prince himself surrounded by the beautiful women of Wallmarket that were usually reserved for Don Corneo. 

“Yeah,” Reno breathed out. “I stole his schedule out of Tseng’s office. I’m going to blow him tonight.” 

Violet eyes blinked a little in shock as he was trying to figure out if he had heard that right. “You’re going to…” 

“Suck his cock, yeah,” Reno assured him. “He’s mostly into women, but I’ve seen him leave with two different guys.” 

“So when you said stalking, you actually meant stalking?” Zack asked with amusement as he sipped on his drink. “How long have you been doing this?” 

“Most of the summer,” Reno admitted. “I talked to him once at a bar down here with Cloud, you know when he wasn’t a stick in the mud.” Reno seemed to realize what he had said, for he made an awkward face. “Sorry, forgot about the whole...situation.” 

“What did he tell you about it?” Zack asked, because he hated himself, and he clearly wasn’t already in enough pain. 

“Oh,” Reno reached around the bar to grab for a glass, pouring himself a drink. “Not much. He kind of made everyone go crazy for a little bit with his weird smell thing...and when we weren’t crazy anymore him and Sephiroth were together. Then well you beat the shit out of Sephiroth earning yourself a massively awesome reputation. That’s about it.” 

“You didn’t ask why his smell made you go crazy?” Zack questioned. 

Reno shrugged. “Not my business. Tseng told me to not ask questions, and so I figured I shouldn’t ask questions.” 

Zack laughed at that, shaking his head. “Reno, you’re going to excel at Shinra.” 

“Thanks man, I hope so too.” He motioned towards the VIP lounge where Rufus was currently doing a line off a skinny blond woman’s stomach. “You want to help me with this situation?” 

“Like, I hold him down while you suck him into submission?” Zack suggested with a grin as he shook his head. “Think I’ll pass.” 

“No, I just need an excuse to talk to him.” Reno’s dark eyes blinked in a plea. “You’re a First Class. It wouldn’t be weird for you to go over there.” 

“I’ve never had a reason to talk to the Vice President,” Zack pointed out. “Especially not when he’s doing coke off a hooker’s ass.” 

Reno looked almost longingly over at the scene. “God he’s such a fuck boi. He’s entirely my type.” 

“Noted,” Zack laughed. “Cloud wasn’t lying when he called you a little..” 

“Slutty?” Reno offered, shrugging. “That’s fair.” 

“I was going to say eccentric,” Zack corrected. 

“Do you think if he does enough coke he’ll fuck me?” Reno questioned, moving passed the fact that he was accepting being called a slut. “I don’t think I’ll be that lucky yet. Baby steps...now come on. No time like the present.” 

“Wait…” Zack tried, but Reno had already grabbed for his hand and yanked him up off the bar stool and towards the lounge. “This is a terrible idea,” he tried. “We can’t just march up to Baby Shinra’s VIP lounge and offer to suck him off.” 

“Us?” Reno asked. “You mean you want to do like a group thing...I’m not against it, but I do my best work solo.” 

Zack laughed. “That’s not exactly what I meant,” he glanced out of the corner of his eye as Reno positioned them against the wall down the stairs from the lounge. “Does Cloud normally help you with these schemes?” 

“Oh yeah,” Reno answered. “He’s like a magnet for sex. He like releases pheromones or something. I’d always get laid when we went out. This claiming he can’t drink situation is irritating. Also apparently he’s no longer allowed to leave the plate?” 

The SOLDIER swallowed hard as pain lanced its way through his chest at the mention of what was going on with the Omega. “You’re very observant when you want to be.” 

“I am, aren’t I?” Reno agreed. “Going to be a natural in the Turks.” 

“Definitely with that confidence,” Zack agreed as he glanced towards the group of Turks surrounding the President’s son. “I don’t know why I’m doing this...I definitely drank too much.” 

“Or just enough,” Reno pointed out. “Don’t get down on yourself. You’re doing great.” 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he mused, exhaling as he tried to see reason on why he would ever do this, but it seemed more amusing than drinking himself into a depression sleep for the seventh day in a row. Focusing on how amusing it was going to be to see Reno fall all over himself as he attempted to hit on Rufus Shinra, Zack began to walk up the stairs. 

He gave his best shit eating grin to the Turks blocking his path. “Mind if I have a word with your boss there? Company business.” 

“What business?” A dark haired woman asked. Her hair was slicked back into such a tight bun Zack thought her face might get stretched that way. 

“Top secret business,” he lied, putting a hand to his hip. “Don’t you know who I am? I’m a First Class.” 

“You’re just another drunk SOLDIER,” she pointed out. “Not that I don’t get. If I had your lives I’d drink myself stupid as well. Doesn’t mean I’m going to let you speak to the Vice President.” 

“What if I asked please?” Zack put on his best puppy dog face. 

“Oh please?” She asked him. “In that case...still no.” Her face was deadpanned as she stared him down, looking around towards the bottom of the stairs. “Is that Reno Sinclair?” 

Zack glanced behind him to where Reno was staring up hopefully. “Oh yeah...he’s the one I got the information from. Big project from Tseng.” 

“And he sent you to tell the Vice President?” she asked skeptically. 

“Well,” Zack motioned down to himself, wobbling on his feet even as he tried to look impressive. “I am a SOLDIER.” 

“First Class, yeah you mentioned that,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Go through, but if I find out you’re lying I’ll crush you into tiny pieces.” 

“Well you mam are terrifying,” Zack motioned for Reno who practically barreled up the stairs behind him. “Don’t worry...I won’t give you a reason to crush me.” 

Reno shoved him forward and he glared over his shoulder, making his way passed what he could only assume was the entire roster of the Honey Bee Inn. “Rufus Shinra?” he asked, the blond aristocrat looking boredly up at him as he threw back a shot of tequila. 

“Are you a SOLDIER?” Rufus questioned, looking at his glowing violet eyes. 

Zack held out his hand to introduce himself. “Yeah I’m—” 

“I don’t care,” Rufus said dismissively. He poured himself another shot, eyes locked on Zack. “You know...someday very soon I will be in charge, and you...you’ll belong to me. Like cattle.” 

“What a charming way to look at your army,” Zack bit out civilly, trying not to let his distaste show on his face. 

Rufus shrugged. “I don’t mean to insult you. It’s just simply your place in life.” He reached out, sweeping the sleeve of his expensive leather jacket across the multiple glasses and upturned drugs. “Let me get you a drink.” 

“I’m really not thirsty,” Zack pointed out, noticing out of the corner of his eye how Reno had taken a seat on the Vice President’s left and poured himself a glass of whiskey. 

“I insist,” Rufus murmured, pouring them both a shot. “I recognize you now. I’ve been briefed all about the Omega Project.” 

Zack’s fists clenched at his side as he bit back the hate he had for everyone in that organization. Instead, he put a fake smile on his face and reached out to take the shot. “Didn’t know I was so famous? I’ll have to tell Mom and Dad back home that I finally made it.” 

“Think you’ll ever get the chance?” Rufus questioned, pouring another shot. “To go home that is.” 

“I hope so,” Zack managed. “Unless you know something I don’t know.” 

“SOLDIER boy,” Rufus motioned to the shot, and Zack obeyed as they took it together. Rufus didn’t even cringe from the strength as he leaned down to take another line. “I probably know a lot you don’t,” he finally managed, rubbing at his nose as he motioned to the seat beside him. “I have someone to introduce you to.” 

Zack sighed in resignation as he obediently sat where he was told, wondering if he could crush Rufus’ eye sockets before his bodyguards got to him. He glowered over at Reno who simply shrugged apologetically before reaching to pour Rufus a shot. 

“Your name is Zachary, right?” Rufus asked. “I think I saw your name in the file.” 

“You can call me Zack,” Zack let him know, trying to be polite. 

“I probably won’t though,” Rufus assured him, looking disgusted at even the assumption. He reached over to his right, hand sliding along someone’s thigh. Zack followed the line of sight upward towards the man’s face, eyes widening slightly at seeing his face. 

He looked so much like Sephiroth. A younger version, couldn’t have been any older than Cloud. He had silver hair cut to his chin, almost luminescent pale skin, and the same slitted vibrant aqua green eyes as his friend. 

“He’s pretty, isn’t he?” Rufus questioned. “I mean...yours is pretty too if you’re into blondes.” The Vice President was grinning cruelly. “He got into town a few weeks ago. My father told me I could show him around. Fucking one is really something else.” 

All forms of polite pretense dropped from Zack’s face as his spine stiffened at the implication. Hatred bubbled in his stomach as once more was met with the overwhelming need to kill every person with the Shinra name. 

Zack inhaled the air, trying to be subtle, but failing once he caught a scent and the color spread across his sclera. 

“Interesting reaction,” Rufus glanced over. “Think he likes the way you smell, Kadaj.” The aristocrat grinned cruelly, looking back and forth between them. “I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now, but Kadaj is from Nibelheim too.”   
,.,.,,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this grew some plot. I went back and forth on the baby situation, but then looked up a lot of fanart of Sephiroth’s adorable children...and I couldn’t help myself with giving him a family. I love Reno so much. He’s so fun to write, and hopefully you enjoyed this new plotline. Please let me know what you think. I eat up reviews like cookies and they really help me shape the story. Thanks so much for reading!


	20. Burning Bridges

Chapter 20: Burning Bridges

Zack swallowed hard as his fingers clenched in his pant leg. The smell had invaded his senses, sending his blood to boiling as he shifted on the couch. That smell. He knew that smell. He shifted his jaw as he felt his teeth elongate, inhaling deep to get control as his eyes raked over the Omega’s form. 

Rufus scoffed at that, hand sliding up Kadaj’s leg. “Do you see that? Do you see what you did to him?” He grabbed Kadaj’s chin, drawing his eyes to Zack’s, and Zack saw how they had a distinct mako glow. “Just smelling you got him like this...imagine if he tasted you? Imagine if he fucked you? What would he be willing to do for you then?” 

“You’re a SOLDIER?” Kadaj questioned, curiosity peaked on his face. “My brother left to become a SOLDIER. Do you know him?” 

“Your brother?” Zack forced out the question, nostrils flared as his fingers dug into his skin to gain back some control. 

Kadaj raised an eyebrow at that, looking over questioningly at Rufus. “Is my brother not SOLDIER yet?” 

“No pet, he’s not a SOLDIER yet,” Rufus murmured, laying his chin on Kadaj’s shoulder as he watched Zack. “Zack here knows him though, don’t you?” 

“Cloud?” Reno interrupted. “That’s Cloud’s brother?” 

Rufus glanced over at the interruption. “I’ve seen you somewhere before, haven’t I?” 

“I get around,” Reno agreed, motioning to Zack. “What’s wrong with him?” 

The Vice President watched him curiously. “Right, he hasn’t gone through his first heat yet. He wouldn’t affect someone like you.” 

“What do you mean you’re Cloud's brother?” Zack asked. “He doesn’t have siblings.” 

Kadaj furrowed his brow in confusion. “What do you mean? Of course he does. He has—”

“That’s enough,” Rufus interrupted, hand wrapping around Kadaj’s shoulder. “You know the rules, right?” 

Kadaj glanced over at Rufus. “Do I get to see my brother at least?” 

Rufus gave a cold smile that caused a shudder to creep down Zack’s spine. There were knives in that smile. There was death. “Perhaps. If you behave.” 

“He’s not a goddamn dog,” Zack bit out, recognizing the tone as the same one they used on Cloud. Like he was a fucking pet and not a human. Like they hadn’t fundamentally abused him in every way. 

Kadaj blinked at him, worry covering his face. “It’s okay,” he assured him, not at all phased by being talked to in such a way. “Do you want me to calm you down?” 

The smile only grew across Rufus’ face as he reached out, throwing back another shot. “I think that’s an excellent idea. Why don’t you take the young SOLDIER to one of the rooms in the back?” 

A growl bloomed through his chest before he could help it, anger spilling over at the complacent nod Kadaj gave. “He’s not a whore either,” Zack managed through clenched teeth. “What is wrong with all of you? How can you treat other people like this? Like they’re somehow less than you, because of what? A smell? Their sex?” Zack stood up, sweeping his hand across the table side service. “You think you’re better than him because of your name?” 

Kadaj stood up as well, smiling placatingly at him and reaching out to grab for his hand. “I don’t mind, really,” he assured him. “I like your smell too.” 

“You should mind!” Zack snapped at him, hating himself for losing control as he saw fear in those eyes. He turned his wrath on Rufus instead. “You’re a bad person. You’re all such disgusting people.” 

He needed to get Cloud away from this. He needed to convince Sephiroth to run. It was the only way. Cloud didn’t remember. He didn’t remember anything, but if he had? Nausea swirled in his stomach at the way Kadaj was squeezing his hand to try to calm him even now. Had Cloud been this way? Had he been raised to think he was meant to please anyone if they said so? The way he had been on that station...telling Zack everything he needed to in order to prevent hurting him. It was the same. It was placating. ...Soothing him because he was an Alpha, and because he thought he had to. 

Zack ripped his hand away from Kadaj’s, running both through his spikes as the alcohol started to come back up his throat in a gurgle. “If I took you back to that room right now, could I fuck you?” Flashbacks to leading Cloud to that room in the slums filled his head. To insisting that he spend the night. 

Kadaj glanced nervously over at Rufus, before looking back to him and shrugging. “If you want to.” 

“Why?” Zack growled in disgust. “Why would you let me? You just met me.” 

Kadaj knitted his eyebrows. “You’re an Alpha. Does Cloud not treat you as such?”

It took his breath away as he realized what he had done by taking Cloud to bed. He realized the sin he had committed over and over again as this mistreated human gave him something he wanted. Something he wanted more than anything. He was just as bad as the Shinras. 

He shook his head in disbelief, wishing he hadn’t drank an entire liquor store before coming to this realization. “Kadaj, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” 

“I’m not,” Kadaj replied almost immediately. “I’ve never been with an Alpha before.” 

Rufus made a noise of disgust in his throat, standing up as well. “This has grown tiresome. You spoiled all the fun Zachary,” he pointed out, and the son of bitch still sounded bored. 

“How can you stand there and talk about any of this like it’s fun?” Zack bit out. “You’re a monster. You’re a piece of filthy human waste.” He made a move to step towards him, but Reno intervened as he shoved him back with both hands. 

“Hey man, no need to get nasty,” he told him, gripping the front of his shirt as he turned apologetically back to Rufus. “Sorry about him. He’s just really drunk...and really butt hurt about getting dumped.” 

“Dumped?” Kadaj asked. “My brother dumped you?” There was honest confusion in his voice. 

It was like knives stabbing into his back at the honest shock that Cloud would break things off with him. As if that wasn’t done. It was the first emotion he had seen Kadaj show, and it was disappointment in his brother. 

Reno gave a nervous laugh at whatever he must have seen on his face, hands clenching into his shirt to try to get his attention. “Let’s not talk about the past. I’m more of a futuristic kind of person...and I see a nice comfy bed in my future. Come on Zack...think I’m too drunk to get up to the plate on my own.” 

“Listen to the pretty Turk, Zachary,” Rufus pointed out. “Think you need to sleep it off and remember who you’re talking to in such a manner.” 

“Who I’m talking to?” Zack asked, voice confrontational as he took a step closer as Reno tried to push him back. “Oh I know exactly who I’m talking to, you fucking psychopath!” 

“Zack,” Reno hissed under his breath, motioning around with his eyes as the Turks began to crowd in. “We need to go. Now.” 

Zack looked around, frowning as there were five Turks guarding the Vice President, all of which now had their hands on their night sticks. He needed to pick his battles. He needed to leave here now with Reno, and figure out the next step for not only helping Cloud, but for getting Kadaj out of this nightmare. He needed to be smart. 

“Fuck it.” Zack shoved Reno out of the way, before hauling back and punching Rufus Shinra as hard as he could in the face. He took a sick satisfaction at feeling that perfectly crafted cheekbone shatter against his knuckles. 

“Holllllyyyyy shittttt,” Reno managed, before Rufus’ bodyguards swarmed. Zack gave Reno a shrug of apology, before grabbing for one of the broken liquor bottles and tossing it towards the group, twisting his wrist as the bangle on it lit up and it set on fire in the air. 

He grabbed Reno’s wrist, yanking him over the side of the railing as they dropped down the stairs during the distraction. He could hear them fast on their heels as he took off running out of the night club and into the streets of Wallmarket. 

He skidded around the corner, narrowly avoiding hitting a stack of trash cans. He heard them fall over behind them as he glanced back to see three Turks on their heels. 

“They’re right behind us!” Reno pointed out unhelpfully, as Zack grabbed for the pole propping up the awning at a noodle stand. He swung around the pole, coming back to smash his feet against one of the male Turk’s chest and sent him crashing into the other two. 

He grabbed again for Reno’s wrist, pulling him in the opposite direction as they ran up the stairs. He took the stairs three at a time, pulling the wannabe Turk along with him as two of the Turks were still after them.

“You’re a crazy person,” Reno managed. “You hit Rufus Shinra...you hit him!” 

“Not helping,” Zack supplied, looking around before spotting a thin board connecting two roofs. “Come on, this way.” He let go of his wrist in order to keep his own balance, trying to move as quick as he could across the board. He fought to ignore how drunk he was as he teetered across the alleyway. He hopped the last five feet, looking back in relief as Reno got across as well. 

Zack turned around as the Turks were halfway across, grabbing for the board. They both froze where they were, and Zack recognized the woman in front as the one who had let him in with Rufus in the first place. She must be just kicking herself right about now. 

“Now listen,” he started. “I don’t want to flip this board. It’s a pretty big fall, and you’re likely to get severely injured, if not all the way dead. Don’t make me do that.” 

“My life’s ruined,” Reno spouted behind him, pacing in anxiety. “They’re going to kick me out. I’m never going to get with Rufus. I’m never going to be a Turk.” 

Zack glanced back at the redhead, grinning at him as he rolled his eyes, before looking back. “Ignore him. He’s a bit dramatic. No need for this to be life or death. You turn around and walk away like you lost us, and I don’t dump you over into this alley.” 

“Do you think it’s that easy?” the Turk asked. “He’s going to come after you for what you did.” 

Zack shook his head. “He’s going to get over it. I’m a SOLDIER, first class, lady. We don’t run cheap.” He shrugged. “Something tells me Daddy won’t be all that thrilled his son wasted that much gil on a barfight.” 

A look of annoyed disgust came to her face, arms spread out as she looked warily down at his hands on the board. “You don’t know Rufus very well. He’s vindictive.” 

“It’s still not worth your life,” Zack argued. “Just go back and pretend you lost us. Don’t make me a murderer.” 

“You’re a SOLDIER,” she pointed out. “That’s what you were made for.” 

“Yeah?” Zack questioned sadly. “Well, maybe I don’t want to be a SOLDIER anymore. Maybe I want to be a hero.” 

“You chose the wrong profession,” she assured him, glancing behind her at the other Turk. He seemed young, looking barely older than Reno as Zack could see his knees wobbling in terror. 

“Cassie,” Reno pleaded. “Please. We can just walk away.” 

“Cassie?” Zack asked. “Your name’s Cassie?” She gave a slight nod, looking irritatingly to the side in thought. “Well Cassie...you don’t want to die here, do you?” 

Cassie turned slowly on the board, and Zack gave a sigh of relief before she reached for the young Turk’s shoulder. “Are you going to talk if we walk away?” 

The dark mop haired kid shook his head emphatically, and Cassie gave a sigh before yanking to the side and throwing the poor kid off the side of the board. 

“No!” Zack screamed as that messy hair hit face first on the concrete below, and Zack saw brain matter splatter across the pavement. Cassie had walked calmly back across the board as Zack stood up, turning shocked violet eyes towards the woman who was just staring at him in distaste. “Why did you do that!?” 

Cassie shrugged. “He would have talked.” She motioned to the mess below. “For the record. That’s on you. Reno, make sure you’re on time tomorrow to ammunition training. Am I clear?” 

“Crystal,” Reno murmured, voice quiet as he turned away from the scene. 

“I see your disgust, SOLDIER. Press me on it. See where that gets you.” She turned away from him then, walking down the stairs and away from the body she had just left behind. 

Zack went to the edge of the building, looking down at the broken body underneath and knowing it was all his fault. 

So much for being a hero. 

He glanced to the side as his hand was grabbed, and he saw the nervous anxiety on Reno’s face. “Hey, we gotta go, okay? We can’t do anything for him now. There’ll be more soon, and they’re not all as swayable as Cassie.” 

“Go where?” Zack questioned, feeling hopeless as all of his choices kept turning out to be wrong. 

“The plate,” Reno answered, squeezing the hand tighter. “We’ve got to get to Tseng and ask what to do...maybe even Sephiroth. Would he help us?” Zack didn’t answer, couldn’t look away from the brain matter coating the pavement. “Zack come on…” Reno pulled him this time. “We have to go.” He did let himself be tugged along as Reno led them down some stairs and into an alley.  
~*~

“I don’t get it,” Sephiroth managed, and Cloud smiled from the kitchen as he rifled through the freezer. 

“What don’t you get?” he asked, pulling out the icecream from the freezer as he searched for a spoon. 

“The point,” Sephiroth replied, lounging in the same chair Cloud had basically been living in for the past two weeks. His Alpha was frowning at the television as Cloud had insisted on watching a movie. “This seems like a waste of time.” 

He grinned at the actual puzzlement on the SOLDIER’s face. “Is it? Don’t like the plot? We can find something else.” 

“No,” Sephiroth disagreed. “I mean in general. Why would anyone waste their time looking at a screen that tells them a story? Do they not have jobs? Training? Responsibilities?”

“You realize it’s your tv, right?” Cloud asked with a raised brow. 

“Shinra had it installed. I’ve never used it.” 

Cloud chuckled, leaning over the back of the chair as he kissed Sephiroth’s cheek. “I was a lab experiment, and even I had tv. What do you do for fun?” he questioned, coming around to the front of the recliner. 

He yelped as hands wrapped around his waist, yanking him over the side of the chair and onto his lap as Cloud struggled to not drop the container of icecream. “You?” Sephiroth answered with a matching grin, and Cloud started laughing as he rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah well, I’ll remind you that you’re the one that put a stop to that.” He had tried to coax Sephiroth to bed after the shower, and he had still refused. Now his mate was lounging in a pair of black silk pajama pants, and he was dressed in some of his boxers and a t-shirt as Cloud had suggested a movie if he was going to insist on being stubborn. 

“A person has to stand by their principles, Cloud,” Sephiroth informed him as the Omega rolled his eyes. 

“Right,” Cloud agreed, dipping the spoon into the chocolate icecream as he brought it to Sephiroth’s mouth. “So now we’re watching a movie.” Sephiroth stared at him in annoyance, before slowly opening his mouth and accepting the icecream. “Good?” Cloud questioned, pulling the spoon back as he took a bite of his own. “Definitely need to sneak down to the kitchen for mint chocolate chip,” he pointed out. “I’m craving mint for some reason. Maybe because of the—” 

“Don’t leave me,” Sephiroth spoke quietly, and Cloud’s smile faded as he tilted his head to look at the almost fear on his face. 

“What?” he asked, worried as he knitted his brow. “Seph...I’m not going to leave you.” 

“If he wanted you back?” Sephiroth asked. “If he would take you back, and if he would take you away from all of this. Would you go with him?” 

“No,” Cloud answered softly, not sure when he had become so certain as he set the icecream on the floor as he shifted in the chair so that he was straddling his mate. He cupped Sephiroth’s cheeks as the other looked beyond self-conscious, which was not something he was used to seeing come from him. He could feel pain and guilt radiating from him. He tucked the hair behind Sephiroth’s ear as he frowned at him. “Seph...I’m not going to leave you,” he repeated. “You bit me, remember?” 

“Yes,” Sephiroth agreed. “I bit you.” 

“And I bit you back!” Cloud snapped at him, not about to let Sephiroth go down that road. “I didn’t have to. I wanted to. We already went through this!” he bit out in frustration. “Zack’s never going to not be important to me, but I’m here with you. I love you. I’m carrying your goddamn kid. So stop thinking I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be!” 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth spoke placatingly, pushing up on him, and Cloud slammed him back down. 

“No,” Cloud snapped. “You both do this shit! Is this some SOLDIER macho game or something? You’re an Alpha, so I clearly can’t manage to help myself from spreading my legs for you?” He pushed on his chest as he glowered at him. “Do you have so little respect for me?” 

Cloud slipped off the chair, grabbing for the melting icecream as he walked back into the kitchen and slammed it angrily back into the freezer. He stomped down the hall, cheeks hot with anger as his temper seemed to be flaring more and more lately. 

Sephiroth had gotten up as well, crossing his arms over his chest as Cloud came back with a pillow. “What are you doing exactly?” the Alpha asked, grinning in amusement, which only made Cloud bristle more. 

“Going to sleep. Since you have such strong moral principles,” he said mockingly, tossing the pillow at Sephiroth who caught it easily mid air. It only made Cloud glare harder as the SOLDIER actually laughed at him. “You can sleep on the couch!” 

“You’re hormonal,” Sephiroth spoke, still grinning at him. 

“And you’re an asshole,” Cloud bit right back, but his anger was beginning to fade exponentially at the happiness he could feel radiating through their bond. Cloud sighed, taking a deep calming breath as he realized how crazy he was just being as his hand went to his stomach with a frown. “You’re still sleeping on the couch.” 

Sephiroth walked over to him, grabbing the back of his head and dragging his face up to his. Cloud sighed into the kiss, relenting as he began to kiss back, all of the anger leaving him as Sephiroth seemed back to normal again. 

When they pulled away Cloud leaned in close as arms wrapped around his waist. “Go to bed. I’m fine sleeping on the couch. It will give me time to finish this enthralling piece of art you picked out for me to watch.” 

Cloud snickered against his chest, smacking him playfully as he pulled away. “You’re so weird,” he managed, leaning up for one more kiss just as there was a knock at the door. 

Sephiroth pulled back with a frown, glancing over to the clock. Cloud followed his line of vision as it was almost 3:00am. “Stay,” he told Cloud, who rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of that suggestion. As if his plan was to run out the door as soon as it was opened. 

“Do I get a treat if I listen?” Cloud questioned playfully, causing Sephiroth to roll his eyes as he got to the door. 

“You’re such a brat,” he managed, before he slid the door open, and Cloud saw all the amusement fade from his face to be replaced by the normal stoic mask he showed the world. “Zachary,” he greeted, and Cloud’s stomach immediately tied in knots. 

He rushed over to stand behind Sephiroth, eyes widening as Zack was on the other side with Reno. “What’s going on?” He looked between the two, not understanding why they would ever be together and at Sephiroth’s door at 3:00am. 

“Hey Cloud...Seph…” Zack greeted, rubbing the back of his head. “Mind if we come in and talk?” 

Sephiroth didn’t move to the side, continuing to watch the two as if he could read the situation out of their minds. “Sephiroth?” Cloud questioned, because obviously the two needed their help. The Alpha still didn’t move, and Cloud saw the way him and Zack were staring each other down at the door. “Sephiroth,” he said more forcefully, no longer making it a question as they were acting like idiots. 

His Alpha did move out of the way then, motioning with his hand. “Won’t the both of you please come in.” 

Zack and Reno pushed their way in, and Cloud bounced nervous on the balls of his feet as he crossed his arms awkwardly, looking between the three of them as Sephiroth closed the door behind them. “What’s wrong?” 

“What’s not wrong?” Reno questioned right back. “You got any beer, Cloud?” Cloud nodded, motioning to the kitchen. “Good, I want one last drink before I die...maybe two...maybe all of them.” 

“Why?” Cloud asked as the redhead cracked open a bottle and began chugging. When he didn’t get an answer he turned to Zack. “Why?”

Sephiroth was looking down, focused in on something. “What happened to your hand?” Cloud followed the line of sight and saw how Zack’s knuckles were bruised. 

“Got in a fight,” Zack managed, exhaling as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “I punched Rufus Shinra in the face.” 

“What?” Sephiroth bit out, at the same time that Cloud burst out laughing. He pictured every time he had to go up to that office and eat shit from his father, and it filled him with such incomprehensible joy that someone had punched the little bastard in the face. 

Zack glanced over at him, and Cloud felt butterflies in his stomach as he saw a brilliant smile reluctantly begin to bloom across his face. “I’m glad you find it so funny.” 

“Please give me details,” Cloud begged, noticing Reno out of the corner of his eye open another beer and start chugging. “Did he cry? Did he moan like a little bitch? Did you break his nose!?” 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth barked in anger, stopping his mocking as he looked over to his mate whose eyes flickered knowingly to the ceiling. 

Cloud’s jaw clenched as he realized his mistake, eyes flickering to the floor as he realized his mistake. The last thing he wanted to do when they were trying to keep a low profile to sneak out to Nibelheim, was to be caught on camera mocking the President’s son. “Right.” 

He saw the way Zack was now glaring at Sephiroth as he moved to the kitchen to grab the SOLDIER a beer...because clearly he needed it as Cloud realized the implications of what he had done. Everyone knew the story of Rufus Shinra once having a man chucked out the top window because he beat him in chess. It was a wildly known rumor that Cloud personally thought was probably true. 

“So you punched him?” Cloud questioned, voice calmer as it would look suspicious if he just stopped talking altogether. He handed Zack the beer. “Why?” 

Zack opened his mouth to answer, but Reno interjected. “Defending someone’s honor like a fucking moron,” he managed, coming back into the room. “You didn’t even know him!” 

“That wasn’t why,” Zack argued back to Reno. “He just upset me.” 

“Yeah,” Reno agreed. “I could see he upset you when your eyes started glowing and your teeth grew like some kind of werewolf!” 

“I didn’t look like a werewolf,” Zack argued. 

Reno scoffed dramatically, grabbing the beer out of Zack’s hand and chugging it as well. “You most certainly did!” 

“Did not!” Zack argued back, mouth tilting up in amusement as Reno upturned the bottle. 

Sephiroth sighed in annoyance, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I can’t imagine that it matters.”  
Zack rolled his eyes. “Right, well. I mean he’s not wrong….entirely. There was this kid...from Nibelheim.” 

The bottom dropped out of Cloud’s stomach as shock rolled through him. “What?” he asked, looking back and forth between Reno and Zack. “Who?” 

The SOLDIER gave him a hesitant frown, obviously trying to think of what to say. “Your brother.” 

Cloud shook his head in confusion. “I don’t have a brother.” 

“You met another Omega?” Sephiroth questioned, obviously quicker to put the pieces together as Cloud’s eyes widened in realization. 

“A hot one,” Reno agreed. “Whatever an Omega means. He actually kind of looked like you, Sephiroth. Same eyes...silver hair. Totally different vibes though,” Reno assured him, continuing without seeming to realize the tension in the room. “Like...I feel like you probably are the kind to have some kind of red room of pain...whereas he’s like...tell me where you want me, Daddy.” 

“Stop talking,” Sephiroth managed, putting his hand up. 

“Why?” Reno countered. “I mean you asked.” 

“Because you irritate me,” Sephiroth stated plainly, turning to Zack. “This is a problem.” 

Zack crossed his arms, rolling his eyes in amusement. “Well obviously, Sephiroth.” 

Cloud stepped forward, not able to comprehend what he was saying. “What do you mean he was an Omega? And my brother? I thought I was the only one?” 

Reno whistled out at that. “Boy, someone is full of themselves,” he mocked as Cloud glared. “What? I only tell you this because I love you, but you acting like you’re the one and only Omega in the world is giving you a big head, and I can’t let your ego go that way.” 

“Stop. Talking,” Sephiroth interrupted, staring at Reno in utter distaste. “Why are you even in my apartment right now?” 

“He helped me escape,” Zack supplied with a shrug. “He’s in just as much trouble as me.” 

“Right, the punch,” Sephiroth exhaled the top issue. “You’re an idiot for losing your temper with the president’s son.” 

“And you’re a backstabbing jackass,” Zack pointed out. “We all have our flaws.” He shook his head. “You didn’t see him, Seph. The way he spoke to that kid. It made me ill. He talked to him like he was some kind of sex slave. Like he was just there to serve me.” 

“Serve you?” Cloud bit out. “What do you mean serve you?” 

Reno put his hand up to his cheek, pumping it as he thrust with his tongue. His hand dropped down to his side at the actual death glare Sephiroth shot him. “Right, I’m going to go find some snacks. I’m starving.” 

Sephiroth motioned towards his kitchen. “Make yourself at home, why won’t you?” he asked with barely restrained fury. 

“Thanks man,” Reno stated, nodding. “You’re not as big of a tool as everyone says you are.” 

Cloud’s jaw clenched as jealousy pulsed through his body at the way Zack smiled as his eyes followed after Reno. “So you slept with this Omega?” 

“Your brother,” Zack corrected, smile fading as he looked back at Cloud’s anger. “And no. Who the hell do you take me for?” 

“Apparently someone who gets offers for blowjobs from random Sephiroth look-a-like Omegas!” Cloud pointed out, seething at the thought as he tried to control his anger as he knew Sephiroth was watching his every move. 

“Oh Spike, don’t you know you’re the only Omega I want blowjobs from?” he questioned darkly as growling filled the room from his left where Sephiroth was glaring. Zack met the gaze. “Go ahead. Give me a reason to really get myself hanged.” 

Sephiroth and Zack stared each other down, and Cloud’s stomach pulsed with pain at the anxiety. He put his hand to his belly, willing the pain away as he looked between them both. His Alpha’s eyes flickered over to him, frowning in realization, before turning back to Zack. “We need to take care of this situation before we talk about anything else. You punched him, anything else I should know?” 

Zack shifted, guilt coming over his face. “Someone died...A Turk. It was an accident.” 

“An expensive accident,” Sephiroth murmured, hand coming up to his chin in thought. “I think I can fix this. We just have to move quickly.” 

“How?” Cloud questioned, looking back and forth between them. 

Sephiroth sighed. “We give them something that they want. They don’t kill Zachary and the irritating one in the kitchen.” 

Cloud knitted his eyebrows at that, hands wrapping protectively across his stomach. Sephiroth had promised him. He had sworn they wouldn’t tell them if they could figure it out on their own. He couldn’t. He couldn’t go and tell them about their baby. 

His Alpha’s eyes tracked the movement, eyes flickering back up to his as he frowned. “Such little you think of me.” He shook his head. “I have to go. Don’t let anyone into the apartment while I’m gone.” 

Zack shook his head. “No,” he denied. “I won’t let them take away anything else from you because of my mistake.” 

“They’re not going to take anything from me,” Sephiroth spoke, and Cloud knew the message was for his ears. “Luckily for you, Rufus happens to be somewhat of a friend. He can be reasonable...for a price.” 

“What if the price is too high?” Zack asked him. 

Sephiroth sighed, walking over to Cloud and leaning down to kiss him. Cloud stiffened, feeling Zack’s eyes on them as he shifted in uncomfortableness, hesitantly kissing back as he knew it was what his Alpha expected of him. Sephiroth’s hand cupped his face, drawing Cloud’s blue eyes up to his own. “I know you won’t, but try to get some sleep?” 

“Like I could,” he argued, meeting with Sephiroth’s stern frown as he shrugged stubbornly. “I’ll try.” 

“Sephiroth,” Zack tried again, voice raw and scratchy with repressed anger. “What if the price is too high?” 

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Sephiroth stated, pressing his lips to Cloud cheek before heading out without another look back.  
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.


	21. Never Again

Chapter 21: Never Again

Cloud’s heart was racing as he stared at the closed door where Sephiroth had disappeared. He knew he had to turn around and face Zack. His hand pressed to his stomach, feeling calmer than he had earlier as he slowly inhaled and turned back to face the dark haired Alpha. The hurt he saw on his face was enough to make him flinch as he realized the way Sephiroth had kissed him good-bye. 

He opened his mouth to respond, but realized he didn’t have anything to say. “Zack,” he managed, not realizing how much he had missed him. Cloud walked forward, not giving the other a chance to respond as he surged forward and wrapped his arms around his neck. He stood on his tip toes as he pulled the other into an embrace, knowing he was about two seconds away from being shoved across the room, but needing him anyways. 

A quiet keening whine left his throat when he felt strong arms slowly wrap around him, causing him to clutch even tighter as emotion swelled through his gut and tears sprang to his eyes. 

He was going to kill these hormones. 

Zack’s hands rubbed slowly up and down his back. “Spike, it’s okay,” he whispered into his ear as Cloud clung. “It’s going to be okay.” 

How? How was it going to be okay? He was with Sephiroth now. They were going to have a baby. They were going to have to run from this horrible place, and what would happen to Zack? What would he think if they both left him? What else was he going to take away from the SOLDIER? 

“I’m so sorry,” he begged out his apologies, burying his face under Zack’s chin. “This is all my fault. It’s always my fault.” He was feeling sorry for himself again. He was making this about him, when Zack was the one in trouble. Why was he like this? If Sephiroth saw him like this, he would be beyond hurt. He was probably sending Zack mixed signals, but he couldn’t help himself. 

“What are you apologizing for, Spike?” Zack questioned, kissing the top of his head. “Made this mess all myself.” 

Reno cleared his throat loudly from the kitchen, and Cloud looked over to see him with a raised eyebrow in question. “I thought you two weren’t fucking anymore?” 

Cloud flinched, pulling back from Zack’s arms as his cheeks burned. “Reno, shut up,” he hissed at his friend. “You don’t always have to say everything you’re thinking!” 

The redhead rose up his hands in mock surrender. “Whoa kitten, don’t hiss at me. You’re the one kissing one of them and hugging the other. Is this like a thropple situation?” Reno asked mockingly, holding up a bag. “I have trash chips. Let’s get drunk while we’re waiting to die. Well...more drunk.” 

“You’re being dramatic,” Zack countered, and Cloud noticed the way he was grinning in amusement at his friend. “We will probably get in at least three more meals before they kill us.” 

“Both of you are just hilarious,” Cloud murmured, rolling his eyes. “I wasn’t aware our imminent demise was a subject of such amusement.” 

“If you can’t laugh at yourself, you can’t laugh at anything,” Zack assured him, grin spreading across his face. “You have to admit. It is quite the story.” 

Cloud raised an eyebrow. “Our story? Suppose it would make for quite the tale...if you took out the horror aspect.” 

“That’s what makes it interesting,” Reno supplied, walking into the room and slamming the snacks down on the table. “Cloud, come take a shot with me.” 

The blond frowned at him, thinking about all of the reasons he shouldn’t be drinking right now. “I told you, I can’t.”

“Why can’t you?” Zack questioned, frown etched on his face as his eyes were fixed on Cloud’s stomach. 

Guilt overwhelmed him as he realized he hadn’t talked to Zack since the train station. ...He probably still thought he lost the baby. “I don’t feel well is all,” he managed. It wasn’t much of a lie. He had felt awful for the last couple of weeks. The only reprieve from the nausea had been when Sephiroth had been home...however fleeting that turned out to be. 

Reno groaned in irritation, sinking down on the couch as he poured tequila and took a shot on his own. “You’re no fun anymore.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose, leaning back. “Fuck, I’m exhausted. Nothing like running from your future bosses to really wear you out.” 

“They’re not going to blame you,” Zack tried, but Cloud could hear the doubt in his tone. “This wasn’t your fault.” He put a hand up in consideration at that. “Well actually, it was your fault.” 

“I didn’t make you punch him in the face, man,” Reno pointed out, patting beside him as he motioned for Cloud. “Blondie, you look awful. Come sit.” 

Cloud frowned at that, wondering just what he must look like if Reno was showing concern. He moved over to the couch, sinking down next to his friend, looking up towards Zack whose eyes were fixed on him in concern. “I’m okay.” 

“Somehow I doubt that,” Zack murmured, shaking his head. “We shouldn’t have come here. I’m sorry.” 

“Did you think I wouldn’t want to help you?” Cloud asked, frowning at the SOLDIER. “Where else should you have gone, Zack? Are we not important to each other anymore?” It was an unfair question, and he realized it by the way violet eyes narrowed when he spoke. 

“I don’t know Spike, are we important to each other?” Zack questioned, shaking his head as he forced the anger off his face. “You should go to bed like he told you to.” 

Frustration swelled inside of him at those words. As if he should just do everything Sephiroth told him. ...Everything Shinra told him. It was the same song, different chorus all over again. “I’m not a slave,” he managed, blue eyes filled with anger as they stared each other down. “I’m not a pet.” 

“I never said you were,” Zack replied. “But you don’t go to your classes anymore. You don’t leave this place. What am I supposed to think?” 

Reno made a gagging noise next to him, and Cloud glanced over. “Listen, I can only handle so much angst.” The Turk reached out, pressing his palm to Cloud’s forehead. “You’re clammy...and gross. Maybe you really should go to sleep?” 

Cloud rubbed at his stomach as he frowned, swatting at Reno’s hand. “The Both of your concern is really touching. I’ll keep that in mind.” He turned his eyes up towards Zack as he scooted back on the couch. “I know you won’t believe this, but I’m doing this all for a reason.” It had been to protect him. To keep him alive. 

Of course, he wasn’t so selfless. He wanted to be here as well...with Sephiroth. He felt safe here, despite the fact that Shinra was watching their every move. Despite the fact that they were planning to run. He felt safe with Sephiroth. Protected. Guarded. 

Zack sighed, seeming to give up the fight as he moved over to the couch. He sank down next to him, reaching over as his hands wrapped around Cloud’s waist, pulling him close and into another embrace. “I know Spike,” he managed, and Cloud shuddered as hands dragged up his back and he inhaled the Alpha’s scent. “I just don’t want you to ever think you have to do anything you don’t want to.” 

Cloud pulled back from the hug, but stayed close as he met those open and caring eyes. “What was he like?” Because he knew Zack. He knew this concern was brought about by guilt. This was about that other Omega. 

The SOLDIER exhaled in exhaustion, leaning back on the couch cushion as he reached out to run his fingers through Cloud’s spikes. “Not like you,” he managed to get out with amusement. “I doubt he’d yell at me quite as often as you do.” 

“So what?” Reno asked. “Kadaj and Cloud were made by Shinra? That’s fucked up.” 

Zack raised an eyebrow at the red head. “Thought you didn’t care as long as it didn’t involve you?” 

Reno motioned around. “Think it kind of involves me now, wouldn’t you say?” 

Cloud forced himself to shift away from Zack’s warmth, turning to look at Reno’s annoyed face. “I’m sorry.” 

The Turk gave him a look of disgust, shoving his face away. “Why? Don’t do that shit, man. You don’t have anything to apologize about in this scenario, do you?” Reno sighed once again in annoyance. “I was so close this time, too. He even noticed me.” 

Zack laughed at that, shaking his head as his fingers pressed to his forehead in exhaustion. “Are you still on getting your dick sucked?” 

“He would have done it!” Reno argued. “I had him just where I wanted him,” he grinned slyly at the SOLDIER. “Besides, I was going to suck his dick. The devil’s in the details and all that.” 

Cloud leaned his head back, staring up at the ceiling. “You think Rufus Shinra would be weirded out to know how many times you’ve masturbated to him?” 

Reno scoffed at that. “Are you kidding? He’d be flattered.” 

“You’re so weird,” Cloud murmured, smiling over at the redhead. 

The other laughed, before his face sobered slightly. “Sephiroth’s not making you do anything, right?” Cloud’s smile left as cold disgust filled him at the genuine concern in Reno’s voice. “You know what I mean, Blondie. Like...you can say no.” 

Cloud shot up from the couch, gripping his stomach as a wave of nausea rushed through him as he turned accusing eyes on Reno and Zack. “What? You think he’s raping me? You think I just can’t seem to help myself?” He shook his head in disgusted anger. “How could you think that of your friend?” he hissed at Zack. 

“My friend?” Zack questioned bitterly. “My ‘friend’ ruined my life.” 

“No,” Cloud argued, shaking his head. “I did that. I brought you into all of this. I put you in danger.” He pointed towards the door. “Sephiroth just went to help you because he cares about you. We both care about you.” 

Zack’s face was pained as he stared up at him, hand running through his dark spikes. “I shouldn’t have come here.” 

“Why not?” Cloud asked. “Did you think we wouldn’t help you?”

“We…” Zack repeated. “Always we...Does that mark on your neck make you so close?” He bit his lip. “We were almost that close. Then he literally ripped you away from me, and our baby…” He stopped talking, sadness and disgust filling his tone. 

“Baby?” Reno questioned with surprise. “As in...like...Cloud was…” His mouth dropped open slightly. “Is that why you can’t drink and look so gross?” He sat forward on the couch, a shocked grin spreading across his face. “Holy shit, you’re pregnant, Blondie?” He tilted his head. “Wait. That’s a weird statement...you’re a boy…”

Cloud couldn’t concentrate on any of that, however, because a cold sense of dread had filled him as his eyes were locked on the ceiling where he knew the cameras were located. The cameras that had just heard Reno’s statement. The cameras, he realized, that had also heard him tell Sephiroth earlier that he was carrying his child. 

“Fuck,” he managed, before running towards the bathroom. Nausea overwhelmed him as he collapsed near the toilet as vomit spewed from his mouth. How could they have not realized the slip? How could he have been so careless when he knew they were watching? 

He was shaking as he wiped at his mouth, hearing Zack and Reno arguing outside of the room. Cloud looked into the mirror, acknowledging their worry as he was pale as a sheet, skin shiny almost with the sweat on his brow. 

His mind was running a mile a minute with scenarios, trying to think of anything he could do to prevent the inevitable. Maybe they hadn’t seen. It was almost 4:00 in the morning now. They may not always be watching. But with everything that had happened with Rufus down in the slums...did they know exactly where they were? What game was Hojo playing? 

Cloud padded slowly back to the living room, seeing Zack and Reno’s worried faces turn towards him. “We need to get Tseng.” He had helped him cover it up before. He may even be able to help with the Rufus situation. “Reno, can you get him? We don’t have a lot of time.” Reno would know where Tseng was. Maybe he could convince him to help. Maybe they could still stop this before it blew up. 

“Cloud, what’s going on?” Zack asked calmly. “Talk to me, babe.” 

Fear coursed through him, as well as longing at the endearment and worry in Zack’s tone. “They’re always watching.” He choked on how much to say, still feeling sick as he didn’t want to make it worse. “We need Tseng,” he repeated. “Please Reno...please?” 

Reno nodded slowly, worry on his face as he could sense the tension in the room. “Sure. I’ll go get him.” He must look bad if even the Turk wasn’t arguing with him. “Did I mess up?” 

“Just go,” Cloud managed, pain lashing through his gut. 

Reno rushed passed, and when Cloud heard the door slam he turned towards Zack. He lunged forward, collapsing into his arms as he clung to him, lips pressed to his ear. “We can’t let them find out about the baby,” he whispered into the Alpha’s ear as Zack stiffened. “They’re watching all the time. I couldn’t tell you...they were going to kill you.” 

Arms wrapped around him, and Zack exhaled as he buried his face into his neck. Cloud clung to him as the other inhaled the scent he knew had changed with the pregnancy. He knew Zack must realize it now too. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Zack whispered against his neck. “I would have protected you.” 

Cloud didn’t answer, fingers clenching into the strong muscles of Zack’s back as he let the Alpha’s scent wash over him and calm him. “Tseng will fix it. I trust him.” 

For some strange reason, he did. He knew Tseng still hated him, but they were tied together in mutually assured destruction. That, and the fact that Tseng had saved his child. Sephiroth would be so disappointed in him when he got back. He brought yet another mess upon them, but he had a plan. They just needed to get the footage. They just needed to cover this up. 

He pulled away from those strong arms, realizing they were finally alone as there was so much he wanted to say to him. Yet, he kept silent as he took a step back. “I’m going to try and get some sleep.” If he stayed in those arms he would slip up. If he spoke to Zack he would tell him how much he missed him. 

It was all so wrong. 

He was broken. 

Zack nodded slowly, eyes sparking along the ceiling now as well. “I’ll wake you once one of them gets back.”

“Zack?” Cloud asked softly, causing those eyes to once more be focused on him. How often were they focused on him? “I love you, you know that right?” 

It hurt him by the way Zack flinched at the words, seeing sadness fill those eyes as he simply nodded. “You need sleep. I’ll wake you as soon as I hear anything, I promise.” 

Cloud nodded, eyes downcast as the other hadn’t said it back. Of course he hadn’t. With everything that happened, how could he? How could Cloud be selfish enough to even ask him for that validation? How could he be like this as a person that he continued to hurt them both? 

He crawled into bed, inhaling his mate’s scent as exhaustion overwhelmed him. He knew he shouldn’t sleep, but he wasn’t going to be any good to anyone if he let the sickness from the baby overwhelm him. 

Clinging to his pillow, Cloud let himself be calm as his body relaxed. He felt safe enough with Zack watching over him. He trusted Reno enough to know he would bring Tseng to fix this. ...He just needed a little sleep. 

He was woken up by the sound of a gun cocking. Blue eyes flew open as a gun barrel was pressed up underneath his chin, and he was met with a grinning face. Cloud’s heart was pounding as Rufus Shinra’s face was right above his, shoving at his chest as panic set in. He realized the other was straddling him as he struggled to scoot away from the gun. 

“Hi there,” Rufus purred playfully, knees digging on either side of Cloud’s hips as he smirked down at him. “My my, when I heard how they spoke of you, I must admit...I expected a bit more.” The gun dragged up along his cheekbone, pressing to his temple. “Must be what’s between your legs, eh?” The gun dragged down his shoulder, pressing to the edge of the comforter as he slowly dragged it down. “Or maybe...what’s growing in your belly?” 

“Where’s Zack?” Cloud questioned, struggling to fight off sleep and fear as he tried not to give anything away on his face. If he panicked, this bastard would just take advantage of it. 

“Waiting,” Rufus assured him, gun dragging up his t-shirt to reveal his flat belly. “They let me come wake their princess. It was the least they could do for all of the trouble I’m about to get them out of.” 

“Sephiroth?” Cloud questioned, looking towards the closed door leading out to the apartment. “He’s back?” 

Rufus nodded his agreement. “He is. We were able to work something out...and then...you’ll never guess what a little birdy told me?” he teased, gun pushing against his lower stomach. “I heard that you’re carrying an Ancient. Something that can bring us back to the Promised Land.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cloud spoke, eyes narrowed at the way the gun was pressed against him. “Get off me.” 

Rufus tilted his head at the demand, staring down almost boredly at him. Cloud noticed how his left cheekbone was still swollen despite whatever cure magic he had used. “I’ve fucked an Omega before. They’re obedient, I guess. The lube is also nice, but I’ve never understood this project. Create a race of sex dolls? For what? The Alphas? The Alphas are our warriors. They should only think of killing.” 

“They’re humans,” Cloud argued, as this asshole talked about the people he cared about like they were nothing more than toys. 

“Are they?” Rufus asked back. “Are you?” 

“What are you going to do to us?” Cloud questioned, not letting himself dwell on that question. “Kill us?” Like hell he could with just a gun. Zack and Sephiroth would slice him to ribbons. 

“Kill you?” Rufus questioned. “And why the hell would I do that? Zachary did me a favor you know...gave me leverage.” 

“Leverage?” Cloud asked obediently, looking up into those icy grey eyes.

Rufus hummed his agreement. “I have ambitions, you see. Ambitions that don’t include waiting in the shadows forever.” 

“You’re the Vice President of Shinra,” Cloud pointed out. “I hardly think you’re in the shadows.” 

“I wouldn’t expect someone whose purpose in life is to breed to understand my dreams,” Rufus replied, fingers twisting in Cloud’s shirt. “Now, let’s go.” 

Cloud grunted as he was yanked up on the bed and out of the room as Rufus held him against his chest and pressed the gun to his temple. Cloud struggled against the arms wrapped around him, looking up as they got back to the living room and saw two sets of eyes narrowed in at the treatment as Zack and Sephiroth stood near the kitchen. 

Tseng stood towards the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face as he observed the situation. Why was he here? Had Reno found him? Cloud noticed his friend was absent in this fucked up come to Shiva meeting that they were apparently going to have. 

“What did you do?” Cloud asked, betrayal in his tone as he stared at the Turk. 

Tseng made a noise of disgust, eyes focusing in on him. “What I should have done weeks ago. I covered my ass.” He motioned around to everyone in the room. “All of this is your doing, little trap. Do not mistake what happened between us on that station for any kind of sympathy towards you. I work for the President.” He glanced over to Rufus. “And the Vice President.” 

Sephiroth glanced over at him, and Cloud recognized the cold mask present on his face. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Turk.” He turned to Rufus next. “Get yours hands off him if you want this conversation to remain civil.” 

Cloud glanced back to see the way Rufus was grinning at his mate, before he was shoved forward and away from him. Cloud stumbled, turning back to glower at the blond prince of Shinra. “Don’t touch me again.” 

Rufus laughed. “Easy to say when your protector forces my hands off you.”

“What do you want?” Zack asked the man. “I was the one that hit you. Punish me and leave them alone.” 

Rufus let out an irritated sigh. “Do you think I’m petty enough to make such a big deal about getting sucker punched?” He shrugged his shoulders. “I admit, it was a good excuse, but as I told the knocked up bitch in the bedroom, this is about what’s in his belly.” 

Growling filled the room from the two Alphas, and Cloud felt his knees begin to shake as the need to go to his mate was overwhelming. “Why is it just you?” he asked, hands crossing over his stomach. “Why am I not up in Hojo’s lab?” 

“Because they don’t know, obviously,” Rufus answered with distaste. He motioned to the some device set up on the counter. “That has the cameras currently running on a loop. We’re safe to talk without any prying eyes or ears.” 

“Planning a coop?” Sephiroth questioned, lip curling as he shook his head. “I should have known.” 

“Zack provided such a unique opportunity,” Rufus agreed, never denying the accusation. “You asked me for a favor, Tseng told me about the child. It wasn’t hard to alter the footage in this room after that.” 

“You’re all the same,” Zack spoke. “You’re just as corrupt and evil as Daddy, aren’t you?” 

Rufus sneered, face twisted in distaste. “My father is a brilliant man, but his ambitions have always been questionable. I know where I want to go with this company, and I know exactly how to get there.” 

“So what do you want?” Sephiroth questioned, ignoring the speech of the brat’s ambitions. “Just spit it out so we can be done with this game.” 

“Always to the point,” Rufus breathed fondly. “Kill him.” 

“What?” Cloud questioned, not understanding as he watched Sephiroth and Zack’s eyes narrow. 

“I don’t care which one of you does it, but just get it done.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “It can’t come back to me.” 

“He’s your father,” Zack argued. “Does that not mean anything to you?” 

“No,” Rufus spoke. “It doesn’t. Do it, and I won’t tell Hojo about Cloud.” 

“You’re asking us to kill the President of Shinra,” Sephiroth pointed out. “Sweeten the deal.” 

“I suppose you’re right,” Rufus agreed. “The bargain was a little skewed.” His eyes met the Alphas’. “When I’m President I’ll let you leave here. You can take Cloud and live wherever you want to. If I need the child...I’ll ask for it ahead of time.” 

“Fuck you,” Cloud bit out. “You’re not touching my child for any reason. You absolute piece of…” 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth barked, interrupting him as the tone in that voice made his mouth snap shut. 

“What assurances do we have that you won’t betray us?” Sephiroth questioned. “They’ll hang all of us for this conspiracy.” 

“Probably,” Rufus agreed. “But I would be in just as much trouble as you were if anyone ever found out. Besides, Shinra Headquarters is no place to raise a kid.” 

“So you’ll just let them go?” Zack asked. “Just like that? The General of your army, and the kid you literally designed in a lab?” He sneered at the thought. “The bullshit is palpable.” 

“Could just kill you?” Rufus suggested. “You’re both quite strong, but we have thousands of troops, and many more SOLDIERs. It could be done….but I wouldn’t kill Cloud.” Rufus smirked. “Him, I’d keep around. I’d want to first of course see what all the fuss was about...and then...well once he had the baby...maybe we could create one of our own.” 

“No,” Cloud spoke, hate filling his tone. “Fuck you.” He pointed to the door. “Tell them. Tell them I have a baby in me. I don’t care. I’m not making them murder to keep me safe...and keep Shinra assholes in power.” 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth warned again, and he shot a glare over at his mate who was trying to silence him. 

“No,” he argued. “You don’t get to tell me to keep quiet and just go along with all of this. I’m done. Done with Shinra...done with feeling this way. I won’t murder one party using me only to replace them with another.” Cloud glared at the Vice President. “You’re not going to kill anyone. How are you going to explain it to your father? I know what I’m worth, despite the way I’m treated.” 

“Kitten’s got claws,” Rufus assessed, tilting his head as he watched him. “You’re not like the others at all, are you? That’s very interesting.” 

“Get out of my apartment,” Cloud bit out. 

“Cloud,” Zack spoke this time, voice not as harsh as Sephiroth’s, but he had that same commanding tone. “We have to hear them out. It may be the only way.” 

“Murder’s the only way?” Cloud questioned the Alpha. “You want to work with Rufus Shinra? Do his dirty work? Why?” 

“You know why,” Zack replied, frowning at him. 

Sephiroth sighed, rubbing his temple. “We’ll do it. Just get out. I have a headache, and this wasn’t how I thought my night would turn out.” 

Rufus let out a laugh at that. “At least the Alphas see reason. Sephiroth, I would get your pet under control. We didn’t give him to you for you to let him be quite so rebellious.” 

“I’m not his keeper,” Sephiroth pointed out, but given the circumstances of their life that felt very much like a lie. 

“You are,” Rufus disagreed. “This only works if he agrees to behave. I’ll leave when he acts like a good boy and tells me he’s in for the plan.” 

“Fuck you,” Cloud bit out, eyes narrowed in hate. 

“That’s the wrong answer,” Rufus spoke, raising up his gun and firing without hesitation. A scream ripped through the air, and Cloud turned wide eyes as Sephiroth gripped at his shoulder. His eyes focused on the blood splattered along the wall behind them. 

“What’s wrong with you!?” Zack bit out, heading into the kitchen to grab for a rag as he handed it for Sephiroth to press to the wound. 

“Impulsivity mostly,” Rufus explained. “Or at least that’s what all my therapists tell me.” He pointed the gun at Zack next, and Cloud held his breath. “Now, you little Omega brat, be a good boy and agree to the plan, or I put a bullet in your ex-lover’s chest.” 

“They could kill both of you,” Cloud spoke, shaking with hate as he glared at Rufus and Tseng. “You’re nothing. You’re just scum with a title.” 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth growled in pain and frustration. “Obey.” He felt anger through their bond, and his knees threatened to collapse out from under him as the Alpha spoke to him in absolute command. His legs collapsed, coming to his knees in subjugation as he turned absolute hate filled eyes up towards his mate for doing this to him. 

Rufus laughed, keeping the gun trained on Zack’s chest as he walked over, hands running through blond spikes. “That’s a good boy,” he mocked him. “I know a doctor in the Omega program. I’ll have him set up a place where you can birth the child safely. You did know that if you just ran off he’d die, right? He kind of looks like he’s going to die anyways.” 

Cloud opened his mouth to respond, but the growl of pain and frustration that ripped through Sephiroth’s chest at just the prospect kept him silent against his own will. 

“What do we have beyond your word?” Sephiroth questioned. “I want something tangible.” 

“The video,” Tseng spoke. “Every bit of this night was recorded.” He reached up to his phone, and Cloud heard Sephiroth’s beep in his pocket. He didn’t reach for it, hand to busy putting pressure on his wound. “It’s yours now. Rufus has just as much to lose with that recording.” 

“But so much more to gain with your cooperation,” Rufus assured them, tilting the gun as he watched Zack. “You’re being very compliant for someone that gets nothing out of this but his own life.” 

Zack sneered at the assumption. “I want him safe. That’s all that matters.” 

Rufus frowned at the answer, looking around boredly. “No, it isn’t. I want to assure your compliance, so I’ll offer you Kadaj.” 

“Kadaj?” Zack questioned in appalled shock. “I don’t want to be offered Omegas like they’re a treat.” 

“Why?” Rufus questioned back curiously. “They are a treat...fucking them certainly is, but then you already knew that, right?” He looked down at Cloud. “Sephiroth certainly understands that. He took him from you. You ever ask yourself why Cloud was so quick to go along with it? You saw the display, right? Sephiroth put him on his knees where he belongs.” 

Cloud struggled to get up, and the same growling ripped through the apartment and his body refused to obey as Rufus laughed. Why would he do this? Why would he humiliate him like this in front of this bastard? Sephiroth had never been about taking his choices away. 

...Besides the mating. 

“I can give you this,” Rufus pointed out, motioning to Cloud on his knees. 

“This?” Zack questioned, looking over at Sephiroth in anger. “I would never want this.” 

Sephiroth turned to Zack slowly, and Cloud saw how his eyes were glowing that aqua green as his entire body was stiff with rage. “One more snide remark and I’ll let him shoot you in the chest. It would certainly be doing me a favor.” 

“Don’t want the competition?” Zack questioned, shaking his head as he looked between Rufus and Tseng. “Let me know my part. I’ll do whatever to get him out of this hell hole.” He glowered at Rufus. “You can keep your treats for someone else.” Zack turned sad eyes towards him, opening his mouth to say something, but not able to as heat lit up Cloud’s face in shame. “Call me when you’re ready,” he repeated instead, heading towards the door and letting it slam behind him. 

Rufus hummed to himself, putting his gun away on his hip. “I kind of like him. He’s got spunk. Maybe Kadaj doesn’t fit him.” Cloud glared down at the ground, nails digging into the floor as he spoke about them like they were part of a breeding program. “Sephiroth, always a pleasure. I’ll let you know the date...and don’t worry about the dead Turk. I cleaned up the mess.” 

Tseng stepped forward, and his wrist twisted as he cured Sephiroth’s shoulder. “I’ll leave the machine that scrambles the recording. Consider it a gift to be able to speak freely with your mate in your own home.” 

Cloud turned hate filled eyes up towards Sephiroth who was frowning down at him, and he was fully aware that his mate didn’t want to hear what he had to say when he was able to speak freely. His eyes stayed locked with Sephiroth’s as the other two left, hearing the door close behind them as he still couldn’t get his limbs to let him move. 

“Let me up,” Cloud managed, rage in his voice as he shot every bit of anger he could through their bond. 

“No,” Sephiroth spoke, voice an icy anger. “I want you compliant for what I’m about to say to you.” 

Had he been in his right mind, he probably would have pissed himself at the anger emitting from the most dangerous creature in the world. As it was, it only caused him to get even angrier. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. You fucking coward!” 

Sephiroth walked over, crouching down in front of him as he grabbed his chin. “I’m the coward for having to once more clean up your mess? For having to dig your boyfriend out of a hole that didn’t involve me? That makes me a coward?” 

“Don’t act so holy,” Cloud bit out. “He’s your friend.” 

“No,” Sephiroth argued. “He’s not my friend any longer. Do you not realize that? He’s my competition.” The hand on his jaw tightened as Cloud tried to yank his face away. “He’s the one who when I leave my mate alone with him for ten minutes he confesses his love for him.” Cloud flinched, causing Sephiroth’s eyes to glow even brighter. “Yes, of course I saw. I was Rufus when he went over the footage of Reno saying you were pregnant. I watched the two of you all over each other. I was only surprised with the fact that you didn’t invite him to our bed.” 

“I’m not a whore!” Cloud bit back, managing to tear his face away finally. 

“No?” Sephiroth questioned. “You were designed to pleasure Alphas...so what exactly would you consider yourself then?” 

“I hate you,” Cloud bit out as he felt like he had been slapped. 

“I’m sure you do,” Sephiroth hissed. “But guess what, Precious? You’re still mine. I’m going to kill the President of Shinra to pay for your safety, so tell me again how you’re not a whore?” 

Cloud felt the control weighing him down give, and he shot back onto his heels with a glare. “You bastard! Don’t talk to me like that!” 

“Don’t tell me you love me, and then purr in another Alpha’s ear all night,” Sephiroth countered with, voice dark with jealousy. “You’re not his.” 

“I’m not property!” Cloud yelled right back, not even recognizing Sephiroth as his eyes seemed almost slitted like a cat. 

“Of course you are,” Sephiroth murmured. “They gave you free will as an experiment, but you would have been just like the others if they hadn’t messed with your head.” 

“How do you know about the others?” Cloud asked, voice surprised even in his rage. 

“I know a lot now. I had to in order to keep you safe,” Sephiroth countered. “This experiment with Zack is over...if I need to make you comply, I will.” 

“I fucking dare you,” Cloud snapped. “If you want some submissive puppy, go find a different Omega!” 

“You think I want you submissive?” Sephiroth questioned mockingly. “I want you to not cheat on me! Is that too much to ask of you!?” 

“I didn’t cheat on you,” Cloud argued. “I didn’t!” 

“You would have!” Sephiroth yelled right back. “Zachary has far more control over himself than my own fucking mate!” 

Cloud didn’t back down from the ire, walking forward as he shoved Sephiroth’s chest, temper only flaring more as it hardly even made him budge. “Don’t you ever force me to submit again! In front of Zack no less!” 

“You talk a big game, Cloud, but the truth of the matter is that you were the one that always came to me. You always wanted me to take you the way I did. You act like I can’t smell when you’re aroused. You act like I can’t bury myself into your soul.” 

“I can’t just turn my feelings off!” Cloud argued. “I can’t just become an ice prince like you and go along with a murder plot!” 

“I’ve killed people my entire life, do you honestly think finally getting to put a sword through Shinra would upset me in some way?” Sephiroth asked. “Rufus is doing us a favor. Why can’t you see that?” 

“Why can’t ‘you’ see that we’re giving up one master for another?” Cloud asked right back. 

“I’m fully aware of the implications,” Sephiroth pointed out. “I just wanted your trust when I was trying to handle things for us and the baby.” 

“Don’t do it again,” Cloud growled out a warning. “Swear it.” 

“Swear it?” Sephiroth asked, stepping forward. “Just who do you think you are exactly?” 

“Your mate!” Cloud snapped. “Not your goddamn Omega!” 

“They’re one in the same,” Sephiroth assured him, surging forward as he leaned down to grab Cloud around the waist, throwing him over his shoulder. 

Cloud fought against him, kicking at him and clawing at that back. He kneed him in the chest as Sephiroth pushed through the bedroom door, throwing him so he bounced on the bed with a gasp. 

Sephiroth was on him then, body pressing him down into the bed, and when Cloud opened his mouth to yell, he was met with his lips instead to quiet his protest. Their teeth clashed as Cloud angrily kissed back, rage mixing with arousal as Sephiroth grabbed both of the arms currently clawing down his back and slammed them above his head. 

A tongue pushed into his mouth, forcing it against his own as he kissed him into compliance. Sephiroth kept hold of his hands with one arm, using the other to reach between their bodies and rip Cloud’s boxers to shreds. 

Their bodies slotted together, and Cloud moaned as he felt the full weight of Sephiroth’s arousal press between his legs. Arousal spread through him at just the feel of his mate, feeling wetness seep in his ruined boxers as Sephiroth ripped them all the way off and threw them across their room. 

Sephiroth worked down his zipper, pulling himself out as his second arm joined the first as he twisted Cloud’s arms to get a better angle. Their kisses had turned longer, less aggressive as Cloud obediently spread his legs for the other, his own cock pressed up against his belly. 

“I’m going to knot you,” Sephiroth spoke as he pulled back. “After you ask for it.” 

Cloud glowered at the request, knowing why Sephiroth was insisting. “Why? Feeling guilty?” 

“Ask,” Sephiroth repeated. “Or you’ll only get my tongue.” 

“Sephiroth,” Cloud argued, shifting to raise his hips and drag the wetness against the large cock. 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth mocked back, pressing up against his entrance, and Cloud moaned as the head pressed easily inside the wet center that was reserved only for his mate. “Ask.” 

“Fuck me,” Cloud complied, embarrassment and shame filling him as they had just been fighting. 

“Knot you,” Sephiroth corrected, and Cloud narrowed his eyes at his asshole mate. 

“Knot me,” Cloud complied through gritted teeth. “Alpha...knot m—” He was interrupted as Sephiroth pushed inside him to the hilt, sending pain and pleasure through his spine as he screamed out because of it. 

His Alpha didn’t relent to give him a chance to adjust, pulling out only to slam in again as the bed frame crashed against the wall. Hands on his wrists tightened as Sephiroth fucked him rough, hips pistoning between his legs. 

Cloud fought against the hold, wanting to touch his Alpha as he raised up his legs to wrap around his waist. He pulled the other closer, moaning at the feel of him inside as Sephiroth laid their foreheads together, and Cloud felt that push against his consciousness. 

He was too into the pleasure to fight as Sephiroth opened up their bond and dove into his mind. He felt a cascade of anger and pleasure wash through him as his mate’s feelings became his own. Cloud threw his head back as the bed continued to slam into the wall, and he scraped up against Sephiroth’s own mind to feel the pain and worry that was consuming his mate. 

Jealousy. Hatred. Sorrow. Love. Anger. They all mixed together as Sephiroth kissed him again, and Cloud panted into the kiss as he felt his entrance expanding as his mate’s knot pressed inside. 

Cum began to fill him as Sephiroth pressed in deep, and Cloud’s toes curled as he fought back losing control as he didn’t want it to be over. Blue eyes met glowing aqua as his cock dripped precum all over his stomach. “Never...again...Never…” he managed, screaming as Sephiroth pressed up against his prostate. 

“Never again,” Sephiroth managed, complying to his mate’s request to not be made submissive before his teeth sunk into the healing wound on his neck. 

Cloud came so hard he whited out, losing his vision as his entrance convulsed in spasms. Sephiroth collapsed onto his chest, still swollen inside of him as he panted against his now bloody neck. 

Sephiroth released Cloud’s arms, and they immediately wrapped around the Alpha’s shoulders, running his fingers through the silky hair. “I want the same,” Sephiroth breathed into his neck, shifting as the knot shifted inside him and Cloud moaned at the connection. 

“You want me to knot you?” Cloud asked teasingly, voice exhausted as he was lost in a haze of ecstasy at being filled with his mate’s seed. 

“Never again. Never again with Zack,” he spoke. “I’ll do what I have to in order to keep you Cloud, and you won’t like it.” 

“Never again,” Cloud complied, swallowing the lump in his throat as his chest tightened in pain. 

“Swear it,” Sephiroth pressed. “Swear to me it’s over between you and him. No touching. No hugging. No more I love yous.” 

Cloud gasped as Sephiroth pulled out of him, lifting up his head to meet blue eyes. He knew he wanted an answer, just like he knew there was only one possible to give him. “I swear,” he managed, hoping it wasn’t a lie as his mate leaned down to press his lips against him. They had hell in front of them, and nothing was going to get any easier, but for now at least he could take comfort in Sephiroth’s arms. For now he could convince himself that it might be alright. 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wellllllllll that chapter was a trip. It was very layered in complications, and hopefully it didn’t get too crazy especially with that ending. They were just so angry at each other...and I couldn’t resist. Also...I just love Rufus so much, I couldn’t help making him a bigger part of the plot. Hope you enjoyed the longer chapter. Let me know what you think about the start of the insanity!


	22. Death Becomes Us

Chapter 22: Death Becomes Us

Genesis thrummed his fingers against Sephiroth’s door. It was tedious really, having to fetch the man for a mission like some Third Class. Honestly, he just thought Lazard was worried Sephiroth was going stir crazy being cooped up inside all the time. Genesis was more worried the SOLDIER would just go plain crazy. 

It was a high stress job, obviously, but everything with Cloud had really amped up Sephiroth’s normal level of crazy to a 10. It’s not to say he didn’t understand the appeal, because anyone looking at Cloud understood the appeal, but the kid was far too high maintenance for his liking. 

The door to Sephiroth’s apartment opened, and he nodded to his friend as he pushed inside. Sephiroth looked exhausted for his part, his eyes wary as he looked him over, normally meticulous hair was strewn about as he was dressed only in a pair of leather pants, obviously working on getting ready for the day. 

“You look like shit. Not sleeping?” Genesis questioned, glancing around the apartment as he didn’t see a trace of the Omega. “Where’s your better half?” 

Sephiroth frowned at the question, and Genesis saw almost pain reflected in his eyes at the mention of Cloud. “Why are you here?” he snapped. 

Genesis ignored the ire in the cranky SOLIDER’s tone, going instead to the full pot of coffee as he dug around in the cabinets. “Lazard has a high priority mission. I was sent to fetch you like the dog of Shinra that I am.” 

Sephiroth took the offered cup of coffee, and Genesis raised an eyebrow at the look of suspicion on his face. “A mission where?” 

“Wutai,” Genesis answered easily with a sigh. “Where else? They do so love their meaningless war.” 

“I can’t go to Wutai,” Sephiroth spoke with a frown. “I’m not to leave headquarters. Lazard should know this.” 

“From what I hear these orders come straight from the top,” Genesis motioned to the ceiling. “Like the President top.” 

“There are other SOLDIERs to send,” Sephiroth argued, and the wild look in his eyes seemed to only increase. “Angeal can go, or Zachary.” 

“Funny you should mention that,” Genesis murmured. “They are going. Lazard has a plan to finally topple Wutai’s forces. We could end the war in just a few months.” Genesis sipped at his coffee, observing the way Sephiroth’s eyes kept darting back towards his bedroom, anxiety tight on his face. 

“Months?” Sephiroth questioned. “I can’t be gone months. I can’t even be gone weeks.” 

“Seph,” Genesis started. “Where’s your boy toy exactly?” He inhaled, recognizing the Omega’s scent, but frowning as there was something else mixed with it. Something...wrong...an acrid rotting smell in the air. “Sephiroth?” he questioned again, nose wrinkling with the smell of sick. “Is Cloud, okay?” 

Genesis grit his teeth at the low growl emitting from Sephiroth’s chest at the question, taking a step back at the way his eyes seemed to almost slit with madness. 

“I’m fine,” a voice interrupted, and Genesis dragged his eyes away from the growling Alpha, to throw a jibe at Cloud. The mocking faded on his tongue the moment he saw him. 

“Blondie…” Genesis whispered under his breath in concern. Cloud’s normally pale skin looked ashen. His cheeks were sunk in with sickness. His skin looked clammy and wet. The smell he had inhaled on the air was even more cloying than before. He wrinkled his nose as it burnt his senses. 

Sephiroth’s anxiety suddenly made sense. 

His Omega was sick. 

...His Omega was very sick. 

Sephiroth put a hand to the bridge of his nose, inhaling his frustration, before lowering his hand. “You’re not supposed to be up. We talked about this.” 

“I think you should go,” Cloud argued. “You’re going crazy being stuck in here. If you don’t go it’ll look suspicious.” 

“Suspicious?” Genesis questioned, looking between them. “Cloud, what’s wrong with you?” 

“Nothing,” Cloud managed, and a slight bit of color came to his face as the other blushed in embarrassment. It didn’t help much, he still looked like a walking corpse. “I’m fine. Just a stomach thing. But I think I’m doing better.” 

Genesis frowned at that. “Really? Cause you don’t look better.” 

Cloud shot him an annoyed look at the way Sephiroth’s neck had tightened in worry. “I feel fine, Sephiroth, you can’t just say no.”

“Orders are orders, and all that,” Genesis agreed with the brat’s assessment. 

“Clearly nobody ever taught you to not use the word you’re defining in the definition,” Sephiroth bit out, his normally callow voice tinged with anger. 

“Clearly no one ever taught ‘you’ to get a full night’s sleep to avoid being so pissy,” Genesis shot right back with. He felt an itching underneath his skin. A need to go to Cloud...to make him better. He knew it must be Alpha instincts calling to him. He could only begin to imagine what Sephiroth must be feeling right now being his mate. ...Whatever that really meant. 

Sephiroth ignored Genesis as he moved towards Cloud, reaching out to press a hand to his forehead. “Your fever hasn’t broken,” he managed in a worried tone, and Genesis wandered if Cloud was aware of the way this powerful being seemed to dote on him. 

To think that Sephiroth, who had always been trained to be a soldier and follow orders, would be debating a direct one from the President. To think that a man who constantly bathed in the blood of his enemies could be content to play house in a place he despised. Genesis could see the writing on the wall. It was all about to come to a head. ...It was all about to come crashing down. 

Cloud stood up on his tip toes, laying their foreheads together to calm the Alpha. “It’ll be good for you to get out.” 

“Being away from you is not ‘good’ for me,” Sephiroth stressed, and Genesis saw the way those eyes seemed to once more slit, as if a simple deviation could spill him into madness. 

“You could end the war,” Cloud pointed out, fingers stroking through Sephiroth’s hair as those eyes once more turned back to normal. “It’ll be fun.” 

Sephiroth scoffed at that, fingers stroking through greasy unwashed hair as if every touch to his mate was precious. “We can’t afford months.” 

Genesis wasn’t even sure they could afford days at this point with how Cloud smelled...like he was rotting. But he definitely wasn’t planning on commenting. He wondered if Zack was aware of whatever seemed to be happening. The last he had spoken with the SOLDIER he had been in a right foul mood. Apparently something bad had happened down in the slums, but that had been weeks ago. He certainly didn’t think he’d let him continue to be in this state if he knew. 

Cloud kissed Sephiroth then, and Genesis felt an overwhelming longing in his gut for what they had. Would he get one? Could he possibly be rewarded after all of this? After the spying for Hojo...the deceit of his friends. When would it be enough to give him his poetry? When would he find the other part to his soul? 

“We don’t have a choice,” Cloud pointed out. “If you disobey they’ll press the issue of me going to the lab. Tseng can only run interference and keep Hojo busy for so long.”

Sephiroth growled again, anger and hurt covering his features. “Then maybe you should go there. Hojo could…” 

“I told you I wouldn’t,” Cloud snapped, weak voice taking on a tone of anger. “I know my limits. This isn’t it. But your limits...you need out.” 

Genesis looked down to smile at the way Cloud spoke to Sephiroth. Had anyone dared speak to him like that before? Genesis had tried from time to time, and it normally ended with him bleeding. He felt sorry for what had happened with Zack, but this...Sephiroth had never had this before. 

“They don’t need me for the whole war. I can win them the battle,” Sephiroth conceded, and Genesis saw a sense of almost relief etched into his features. Whatever was happening here, it was causing the Alpha great pain. It was breaking him. “Someone needs to watch you.” 

Cloud rolled his eyes. “I’m not an invalid.” 

“Someone needs to watch you,” Sephiroth repeated. Whatever sickness was gripping Cloud, the Omega seemed innately stubborn about it. 

A stomach flu...was that really it? 

“I’ll call Tseng if I need anything.” 

Since when did Cloud get so friendly with the Turks? Though, he supposed he was friends with their newest member. Reno was even coming with them on their mission as a diplomatic aid. He was proud of his cousin, annoying as he may be. Though, he wasn’t entirely sure how diplomatic a group of people that dealt in swift murder were really going to be. 

“I’ll leave instructions,” Sephiroth conceded. “If your fever hasn’t broken by tomorrow...you will go to the 65th floor. Promise me.” Cloud frowned at the concession, and the grip Sephiroth had on him tightened. Growling filled the air, and Genesis saw those eyes slit once more in madness. “Promise.” 

“By tomorrow,” Cloud finally relented, and Genesis could imagine he was secretly crossing his fingers by the way those blue eyes seemed deadened at the prospect. He did notice the fact that the Omega never promised, a fact Sephiroth seemed to realize as well as he frowned at him. 

Nevertheless, Sephiroth pulled away anyways, clearly conceding that he wasn’t going to win the argument as he grabbed for the leather overcoat hanging up. “Let’s go. The sooner we get on that boat, the sooner we get back.” 

Genesis shrugged, not able to argue with that logic as he shot Cloud a last look. “Take care, Blondie. Maybe try showering every once in a while as well? It might help.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Cloud assured him with a tired smile. Sephiroth for his part couldn’t seem to look in his direction. It was as if he looked at his mate again he would crumble. Something was very wrong. He wasn’t suicidal enough, however, to ask the other Alpha what was really wrong with his mate. So instead he would do what he did best. 

...Kill some Wutai scum, and hopefully they would finally end this war.   
~*~*~

“What do you think?” Zack heard Reno’s voice ask from behind him. He was in the armory sharpening his sword for the upcoming mission. They were supposed to end the war...as if they could be so lucky. What then? Who would Shinra be after when they didn’t have the Wutai to villainize with their prejudice? How would they continue to pull the wool over the people’s eyes? 

He shook off his distraction to look behind him to where the Turk stood in the doorway. His eyes scanned appreciatively over his suit clad form. From the smirk Reno shot him, he knew that he had noticed the gaze. 

“You clean up nice, Turk.” He had officially been named amongst their ranks the day before. The redhead had been all but giddy as he had dragged Zack out for a drink. Reno had proved to be an actual decent friend since the incident in the slums. He had a proven an even better distraction to keep Zack’s mind off his lost love who he had yet to see leave Sephiroth’s apartment since the man had put him down on his knees and made him obey. 

It still pissed him off. It infuriated him that Cloud, who had never bowed to anyone since he met the stubborn blond, was fine being subjected and humiliated in such a way. How could he let himself be used in such a way? Was it his upbringing, or was it the person he had once considered a friend whispering sweet nothings in his ear? 

He hadn’t heard from Rufus since they had left. He had no doubt the Prince of Shinra was biding his time for the perfect moment to strike against his Father. Zack suspected he may be waiting for something pesky like a 10 year war to be over. He wondered if President Shinra knew that by bringing them peace, he was also signing his own death warrant. 

“A compliment from your surly ass, I’m shocked.” Reno tugged on his suit. “Couldn’t seem to get you to even crack a smile last night.” 

Zack laughed at that, rolling his eyes in amusement. “How would you know? You ran off with that guy from Sector 7 20 minutes after dragging me all the way down there on the train.” 

“What can I say?” Reno defended. “Tall dark and handsome is definitely my type.” 

“Oh?” Zack questioned. “Then what is Rufus Shinra, exactly?” 

Reno tilted his head as he thought about it. “An anomaly.” 

“He certainly is that,” Zack agreed. “Have you ever been to Wutai before?” 

“First time,” Reno managed, stepping closer. “Gonna show me around, SOLDIER boy?” 

Zack laughed at the thought. “In between battles? Sure, why not. It’s beautiful there. Besides...you’ll probably find plenty of tall dark and handsome while stuck on the ship over.” 

“I wasn’t worried about finding that particular niche on the ship,” Reno assured him. “Going to go say good-bye?” 

“To who?” Zack asked, even though he was fully aware of who he could go say bye to. 

“I’ll pretend like you’re not really being this obtuse,” Reno murmured, pulling out his nightstick as he twirled it around playfully. 

“Guess we’ll keep pretending then,” Zack agreed. He couldn’t see Cloud. Not now. Not with the way he couldn’t get the image of his ex-lover down on his knees in front of Shinra. Not after he had clearly stayed with Sephiroth after. He didn’t feel like he knew Cloud at all anymore. Had he ever? Had this really been who Cloud was all along when he no longer was playing their lie? 

Reno chuckled. “You’re ridiculous, man,” he teased.

Zack just shrugged. “He’s alright, and if he wasn’t...not like he doesn’t have my number.” 

“Would you answer?” the Turk asked curiously. “If he did call?” 

He ran his hands through his spikes, keeping the grin on his face even if his chest had tightened in pain at the thought of the Omega. “I’d consider it.” Had it really been weeks since he had even heard his voice?

“I miss him,” Reno managed, echoing his own thoughts. “I miss him before all this.” Before Sephiroth, was left unsaid and hollow between them. “I miss my friend.” 

Zack missed him too. Seeing him give into his nature hurt him down to his very soul, because it was the opposite of everything Cloud would have wanted. For what? Sex? A baby? Did Cloud even want a baby? He had wanted to become a SOLDIER. He had wanted to see the world and fight for a cause...now he was playing house like a kept pet. 

It was wrong. 

He missed him so much. 

“We better get going. The spots on the ship go quick,” Zack changed the subject, sheathing the sword behind his back as he motioned to the door. 

“You’re a First Class though, right?” Reno questioned, following Zack’s lead as he fell into step beside him. “Don’t you get your own cabin?” 

Zack’s mouth opened to argue, before realizing that Reno was absolutely right. “Yeah, I guess I do. I’ve never taken advantage before though.” 

“You could, you know,” Reno assured him. “Take advantage that is.” 

Zack shrugged. It could be nice to not be stuck in the hull with the rest of the troops. It might also be a good way to avoid Sephiroth. “Guess I should.” 

Reno laughed, shaking his head at him. “Sometimes you’re very dense, did you know that SOLDIER boy?” 

“Suppose I can be,” Zack wasn’t going to argue with the observation as Reno’s amused grin widened. “What about you? Where do Turks stay?” 

“I don’t know,” Reno mused as they headed towards the train station. “I’ve never been a Turk before. Think I’m supposed to get a partner on this mission, but Tseng seemed distracted.” 

“Too busy wondering new ways to kiss Rufus’ ass?” Zack murmured, and if there was a slight bit of spite in his tone he wasn’t going to point it out. 

“He could only be so lucky,” Reno murmured dreamily. 

“So who’s your partner?” Zack asked. “Did they tell you before you left?” 

Reno nodded. “Someone named Rude. Seems pretty chill. Deep stalking into his file only reveals a gambling problem and a pension for big busted beauty porn.” 

Zack laughed at that, shaking his head fondly at the Turk. He’d never tell him this, but he didn’t know how he could have gotten through the last month without his constant irritating presence. “What’s he going to find if he looks into you, exactly?” 

“A lot more than big boobed porn,” Reno answered, face tilted in a teasing grin as he turned to face him, walking backwards. “What about you? What are you into?” He bit his lip in amusement. “Is it weird? Please tell me it’s weird.” 

He opened his mouth to respond, but his smile soon faded as he saw who Reno almost backed into. Zack lunged forward to grab Reno’s forearm, yanking him towards him before he ran into Hojo. 

“Dude, wha?” Reno spun around, shutting his mouth as he saw who he had almost bumped into. Zack glanced over, never seeing the redhead so cowed as he looked down to the ground. 

“What do you want, professor?” Zack asked, not quite able to pull all the hatred out of his voice as he looked at the monster who had puppeted all of their lives. 

“So snippy,” Hojo observed, brow arched over his thick glasses. “I wasn’t the one that dumped you.” 

“No,” Zack agreed. “You just facilitated it in every way.” He had ripped Cloud away from him bit by bit. He had turned them all into monsters. 

Hojo shrugged, sighing in irritation. “You give me far too much credit. Need I remind you, but you left him during his first heat, did you not?” 

Zack flinched at the snipe, teeth gritting as he glared at the man. He couldn’t defend himself against the accusation, however, because if he had mated Cloud during his first heat when he had been too scared to even touch him, then none of this would have happened. If he had been here for the second heat and not trusted Sephiroth to stay away, then he would still be with him. This was all his own fault. He had wrought all of the pain upon himself, and he knew that. Cloud may have made his own mistakes, but in the end, Zack had done this to them. 

“What do you want?” he repeated again, glancing over to see Reno was still subdued beside him. Had Hojo done something to the Turk? Though, he supposed, the better question would be to ask who here Hojo hadn’t experimented with in some way. He would make it a note to ask Reno later, however, just what they went through to become Turks. 

“I need your assistance. Now,” Hojo didn’t make it a suggestion even, but a demand. 

“What could you possibly need my help with?” Zack hissed out, tone dripping with the same hate he felt for the scientist. 

Hojo stared him down, motioning towards the elevators. “It won’t take long. You’ll still make the ship to Wutai. That Turk will make sure they don’t leave without you.” 

Zack sneered at the haughty tone, knowing he couldn’t really argue. Not in the halls of Shinra where Hojo held the rank. He nodded to the scientist, shooting one look back towards Reno, frowning as the fiery redhead was still just staring at the floor. 

He tore his eyes away, determined to question the Turk later about just what the hell Hojo had done to him. He glowered at the man as they got on the elevator, Hojo obviously not intending to fill him in on what this all was about. 

When they exited into the laboratory, Zack got a chill down his spine as he remembered coming to this place for the mako injections when he had made SOLDIER. This place just invoked memories of pain...of sickness. He could only imagine what Cloud felt when he had to come to this place. 

“When’s the last time you saw Cloud?” Hojo asked offhandedly, not beating around the bush on why he had dragged Zack up to this place. 

“A few weeks,” Zack murmured, voice guarded as he knew he couldn’t tell the scientist about what had happened in Sephiroth’s apartment. 

...Couldn’t tell him about the baby. 

...Sephiroth’s baby. 

“Interesting,” Hojo remarked. “That by choice, or has he been keeping you away?” 

Zack frowned at the question. “Seeing him wasn’t healthy for either of us,” he said simply, leaving it there to hide the pain behind his voice. 

Hojo snorted at the explanation. “You’re very wrong about that.” 

“Trying to encourage me to see him, now?” Zack questioned bitterly. “I seem to remember you all but shoving him into Sephiroth’s arms.” 

“Well that was for the child,” Hojo remarked. “That situation has been taken care of already. It’s growing inside him now.” Zack stiffened at the words, fingers itching to reach back to his sword. “Relax,” Hojo assured him, rolling his eyes. “Of course I know. What I don’t understand is how they possibly think they’ve been hiding it from me. If I had wanted to test him and put the pregnancy on record...I obviously would have. He’s nearly two months along now.” 

Zack opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again as he realized Hojo could be backing him into a trap. He could be bating him to confirm something he didn’t know. “I don’t know if he’s—” 

“Don’t insult me,” Hojo interrupted. “I told you I know he is. They only know about certain cameras. I’m not very well going to allow my first omega to be unmonitored.” 

“Your son, you mean?” Zack questioned with ire, causing Hojo to shrug. 

“Semantics. He belongs to be in either sense.” Hojo eyed him over the thick spectacles. “I’m going to tell you something. What you do with the knowledge is up to you.”

“More lies?” Zack questioned, knowing Hojo never gave up any information freely without an agenda. 

“You can think what you wish, it matters not to me,” the scientist spoke almost boredly. “The thing growing in Cloud’s stomach is not an Ancient. It’s something else entirely. No one else at Shinra knows about this...besides my son of course. I can’t imagine he has any illusions about what’s inside him.” 

Zack hid the shock he felt, shifting in uncomfortableness as horror filled him at the thought of some sort of experiment growing in Cloud. “What is it?” 

“A calamity,” Hojo breathed with pride. “The child will change the world. If it lives.” 

“Doesn’t sound like it should,” Zack pointed out darkly. 

“Would you like that?” Hojo questioned. “If he lost it? Do you think he would lean on you then? Instead of Sephiroth?” 

“I don’t need him to lean on me,” the SOLDIER assured the sociopathic doctor. “As you pointed out earlier, I missed my chance to have him.” 

“You’re lying,” Hojo assured him. “Do you know how I can tell?” The professor moved over to the fridge, pulling out some kind of vile as he came close to him. Zack eyed him warily as the shorter man stood in front of him, uncorking the vile as he held it close. 

The smell...it was Cloud’s smell. It was his scent when he was in heat. 

The reaction was almost instantaneous as the sclera in his eyes spread and his teeth sharpened as his body called to him to seek out the Omega. Memories of being buried inside of him flashed before his eyes as needwantfucklove all filled him at once. 

Hojo grabbed for his face then as Zack let out a growl at the treatment. The scientist moved quickly, and Zack hissed as a needle pressed underneath his lips and into the gums above his grown in fangs. 

Zack continued to growl at him as Hojo pulled the needle out of his gums, and some sort of serum liquid was in the syringe. “What is that?” he asked, taking a deep breath to calm himself as Hojo recapped whatever he had used of Cloud’s scent. 

“Alpha venom. It’s what makes the mating take...makes an Omega a bit more compliant.” Hojo raised an eyebrow as he watched Zack. “You’ll notice he’s a bit different since Sephiroth took to biting him during sex?” 

Every sentence uttered from Hojo’s mouth was emotional sabotage, and so he tried to catch up with what he was trying to imply. “Are you saying he’s making Cloud submissive?” 

“Not cognizantly,” Hojo assured him. “I don’t think so anyways, but Sephiroth is quite desperate to keep him.” 

“Is he hurting him?” Zack questioned, worry filling his voice even after he had tried his best to beat it down. 

“Again, not consciously...but he is hurting him. Cloud’s body is rejecting the child. That will happen when he’s not with his mate.” 

“Sephiroth is his mate,” Zack bit out, not understanding this line of reasoning. 

“Technically,” Hojo agreed. “Sephiroth picked Cloud a very long time ago, and so I did my best to comply with the request. I told Cloud over and over again that he was with the wrong Alpha when he was with you, because it served my purpose to do so. I had manufactured their bond, however, it doesn’t mean Cloud hadn’t found his actual mate.” 

“Are you saying that Cloud is my…”

“I’m saying his body is rejecting the baby that I need him to grow,” Hojo interrupted. “Everything besides that is just pointless. You may have been together had it been another life, and had he been given free will. But he wasn’t. I told you, he’s my property...and his purpose is to birth the next stage of this universe.”

“Rejecting the baby?” Zack asked, trying to wrap his mind around everything else Hojo had told him to ruin his world. 

“Yes, it’s killing him. Quickly. I had Sephiroth sent on a mission, and have confirmed he’s now on the ship.” Hojo held up the vial of liquid he had taken from his gums. “You need to go give him his medicine.” 

“He was supposed to be my mate?” Zack questioned, pain igniting once more through his soul. 

“Don’t let your thoughts get away from you. Cloud never had a choice on who he mated with, and as for you...the only way to break a mating bond is through death. I daresay your misplaced nobility wouldn’t let you kill Sephiroth to reclaim him. Even if you could, which you can’t. His abilities are far superior to your own.” 

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Zack questioned, fists clenched in pain as he realized just how evil everyone at this organization actually was. 

“Because I like to see what people do,” Hojo answered easily. “You could tell people what I told you here today. You could tell Cloud that he was supposed to be with you, but what good would that do laying that burden on a dying boy? The best thing you can do is inject him with what you should have when you found him...and live with the knowledge of what could have been.” 

“You ruined our lives,” Zack spoke breathlessly, fingers pressed to his mouth as he tried not to vomit. 

“I created his life. It’s mine to do with as I please,” Hojo spoke. “You’re going to be late for your ship, and you still need to stop by and give that to Cloud.” 

Zack’s eyes felt blurry as he turned them in hatred towards Hojo. “Why don’t you just give it to him?” 

“I told you,” Hojo spoke. “I like to see what people do. He’ll need injections throughout his pregnancy...doses of his Alpha to calm the toxicity the alien seed is causing in his bloodstream.” 

“Alien?” Zack questioned slowly. “Does that mean that Sephiroth is—” 

“Does it really matter at this point?” Hojo interrupted, patience wearing thin. “Cloud’s exactly where he needs to be.” 

“Right in the hell you put him,” Zack agreed, once more itching to grab for his sword and skewer this man against the wall. ...But what would that mean for Cloud? What would that mean for Sephiroth’s plan to get him out after the death of the President? If he killed the head of the Science Department, they would never get close enough to the President. He took the vial, meeting those dead eyes as he stared at him in contempt. “I’m going to kill for this. No matter what...I will kill you for this.” 

“I welcome the challenge,” Hojo assured him, and Zack turned away in disgust as he headed back towards the elevators to get to the SOLDIERs’ floor. 

Zack used the spare key he had gotten from Sephiroth over a year ago when they were friends, entering the apartment and covering his face as he was immediately assaulted by the smell of sickness...of rot. It made him beyond sick to instantly know that it was Cloud. 

How long had he been this sick? How long had Sephiroth been hiding it? No, he knew deep down that it wasn’t Sephiroth’s idea to hide. This particular kind of masochistic deception had Cloud written all over it. 

He knew the story before it was ever even told to him. Cloud hated the lab. He hated being an experiment. There’s no way he would ever let his child run into a similar situation. Even if it cost him his life in the long run. His selfless Omega. No...not his...he would never be his, even if he truly was. 

Zack let his nose lead him towards the bedroom. His stomach was roiling in nausea at the stench. He opened the door slowly, eyes softening at the blond spikes just barely sticking up above the comforter. Even dying, the Omega was adorable. 

He moved towards the bed, Sephiroth’s scent strong in the room. How many times had they had sex in this bed? In what ways had he taken Cloud that he had never had the chance? He shook his head, disgusted with his own jealousy. Sex was fine, but it had never been about that for him. He had just wanted to know him. Now, if he couldn’t know him in the way that he was now, he just wanted him to be safe. 

Cloud didn’t wake up as he came close, and as Zack reached towards the comforter to pull it over his head he noticed how his sunken cheekbones were lit with a fevered glow. He probably couldn’t even wake up right now if he wanted to. 

Zack squatted down beside the bed, hand coming out to sweep through sweaty spikes, leaning forward as he laid their foreheads together and frowned at the intense heat coming from Cloud’s skin. How could Sephiroth leave him like this? How was he allowing him to go through this? Why hadn’t he brought him to Hojo? He clearly had no problem making Cloud obey when he needed to, so why was he allowing him to suffer? Could he not smell the death coming off his own mate? 

He twisted his head to press his lips to the blond’s cheek, sighing as the other reached for him in his sleep. Zack evaded the touch, pulling back as he knew he didn’t have much time before they shipped out. He grabbed at the hand reaching for him, gently upturning it to reveal his veins. Zack’s eyes flickered to Cloud’s neck to where the mark there looked almost fresh. 

Would Sephiroth be so quick to bite if he knew the truth behind it? ...Or would he be even quicker? Until death do they part...death didn’t seem that far away now. 

Zack pulled out the syringe, uncapping it with his teeth before plunging it into the Omega’s vein. It broke his heart that he didn’t even open his eyes with the puncture. Was Sephiroth planning to let him die while he was off fighting Wutai? Had he had a backup plan that involved getting Cloud help when he wasn’t there? 

“How could he leave you?” Zack whispered, leaning down to press his lips once more to Cloud’s cheek, trying to memorize the way his skin felt against him. 

“Zack…” Cloud breathed out in sleep, reaching again, and Zack allowed a hand to fist into his sweater for a few moments. He sighed as a bit of color came back to the Omega’s skin, and knew that whatever crazy theory Hojo had had been right. It was helping him. ...He was helping him. 

“I love you so much, Spike,” Zack managed, telling secrets in this room of sickness to someone who would never hear them. “I can’t do this anymore, though. I have to move on...I’ll help you with the kid. I’ll help save you...but I can’t feel this way about you anymore.” It was too painful. He was pathetic. The world was wicked and broken, and it had ripped them apart. He was with Sephiroth now. 

....Until death do they part. 

,.,.,.,,.,.,.,.,.,.


	23. Conversations by Starlight

Chapter 23: Conversations by Starlight 

Zack sighed as he stared up at the ceiling, fingers entwined behind his head as he watched the slowly rolling ceiling. They had been on the ship to Wutai for nearly a week. A week without any word about Cloud. A week crammed with hundreds of stinking bodies on a ship sent to murder people for no other reason than being different than them. 

It had been a week, and yet somehow he had still managed to avoid Sephiroth. He had no idea what he would say to his former friend. He knew whatever it was, it wouldn’t be anything kind. He had just left Cloud like that. ...He had made him that way—to what? Reproduce? To what end, exactly? Hojo would take that child the second it was born, and if he didn’t, would they be on the run? Who was that for? Cloud? Did Sephiroth truly think that would be anything he wanted? 

If Hojo was ever to be considered trustworthy, Cloud was not meant to be with Sephiroth—as if he hadn’t always been aware of that fact. As if the second he laid eyes on the Omega, he hadn’t known that he was his forever. His mate. His one biggest mistake. 

He had told himself he was going to let Cloud go, as if it would be so easy. He had told himself that if he ran far enough that the dreams would stop—as if after meeting the other half of his soul he could ever dream of anyone else. 

He was trying though. He was doing everything in his power to not find a satellite phone and call home to his ex-lover...the only thing he had ever wanted. It’s not to say there weren’t compelling distractions. The main distraction being the redhead who was currently snoring on his couch. 

Reno had insisted on staying in his suite, saying that his new partner snored. Zack didn’t argue, because the Turk tended to keep him away from his more maudlin thoughts. He would daresay he had become the closest thing he had to a friend since Cloud. He would just work hard not to screw things up like he had his other friendships. Then again, he didn’t think Reno had a compulsion to fuck Sephiroth….Rufus maybe...but definitely not Sephiroth. 

The Turk had more than a few choice words about what had happened with his friend. Zack had hesitantly broached the subject of how sick the Omega was, and Reno had gone out that night on deck and gotten so shitfaced he couldn’t walk. He told him that the only thing that was stopping him from confronting Sephiroth is that the SOLDIER could kick his ass. 

He didn’t blame him in that regard. Zack had had much the same thoughts as he considered telling Sephiroth exactly what he thought of him. Would the General be so quick to continue to bite the blond if he knew what he was turning him into? Would he consider giving him up knowing that their entire relationship was built on a lie? 

Zack pushed himself out of bed, resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to sleep as he quietly grabbed for his boots. He didn’t want to wake Reno as the other was sprawled rather undignified out on the couch, hand splayed across his thin stomach. 

He pushed out of the room, ignoring the roiling in his gut as the warship rocked on the waves, heading up towards the top of the deck to get some fresh air. He had joined Shinra because of this war. He had come from Gongaga because they had recruited him and told him it was just. It had all been built on a lie. Everything in the electric city was a false bravado to control the world. They were cruel. They were monsters, and he no longer thought that slaughtering Wutaiin soldiers was anywhere close to just. He was no longer a hero. ...Sometimes he wondered how he ever thought he could be. 

His dream had died with those blue eyes. 

Leaning against the deck, Zack sighed yet again as he stared out amongst the endless ocean. His violet eyes scanned the countless stars as he saw one shoot across the sky. He closed his eyes, making a wish on the star. ...Knowing that it would probably never come true. He had never been so lucky. 

“What did you wish for?” Zack stiffened at the sound of the voice, hands tightening on the railing as he felt his teeth grind with his anger. 

“Oh, you know the stories, don’t you Seph?” Zack questioned, forcing a smile on his face as he looked over finally at the General of Shinra. “If you tell someone, it won’t come true.” 

Violet eyes scanned over the man, taking in his less than kempt and pristine appearance. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His skin was grey and sallow, his hair unwashed. He had never seen Sephiroth like this before in his life. 

“Right,” Sephiroth murmured, coming to stand beside him as he stared up at the sky. “Wouldn’t want to jinx it.” 

“You look like shit,” Zack spoke, never being one to pull his punches with the other. ...It was why they used to be friends. Everyone lied to Sephiroth. Everyone catered to his every desire. It was a rarity that someone would tell him the truth. Zack used to find it endearing...now he just found it annoying that Sephiroth had taken a shine to Cloud for that exact reason. 

Sephiroth made a noise in his throat, not looking over at him as he ran a gloved hand over his exhausted eyes. “I can’t sleep without him.” 

Zack narrowed his eyes at that, but fought to bring his face back to neutral. The last thing they needed was another fight between them. The rumors from the last one had held on for weeks. “Have you talked to him?” Because Cloud may be on the bottom of subjects he wanted to pal around with Sephiroth about, but he also wanted to know he was alright. 

Sephiroth frowned at the question, finally sighing as he relented. “Yes,” he stated simply. “Every night.” 

“Suppose being the General does grant you some privileges,” Zack remarked, leaning back to look over the side as they avoided looking at each other. It was easier this way to pretend he didn’t want to hit him. ...It was easier to pretend that he didn’t miss him as a friend. 

“Perhaps you’ll get the chance to try it someday,” Sephiroth replied, bitter resentment in his tone. “See how much you like it.” 

“Is he okay?” Zack questioned, voice guarded. The last thing he needed for Sephiroth to find out was that he had seen Cloud before he left...that he had injected his venom into his veins. 

“He’s getting there,” Sephiroth finally replied with. “He’s stubborn, but you know that.” The SOLDIER finally turned to face him, and Zack had a suspicion he was about to bring up whatever had brought him to find him. “I’m in love with him.” To his credit, Zack managed to keep the flinch from his spine. “I don’t know how to keep him alive. It feels like he’s slipping away from me.” 

“Slipping where?” Zack questioned, leaning over on one arm to face the taller man. “He lives in your suite...in your bed.” 

Sephiroth laughed bitterly. “He’s only there because they put him there.” He tilted his head back to stare up at the sky. “Nothing in my life has ever been there by accident. Imagine my surprise when I thought that he wanted me—when I thought he was leaving you for me.” 

Zack frowned at the strange tone in Sephiroth’s voice. He sounded beyond stressed—almost panicked. “Seph, what are you talking about? He did leave me for you. That wasn’t fake.” To think he was out on a boat in the middle of the ocean, giving relationship advice to the person who had ruined his life. 

“He came to Shinra once—when he was younger. I hadn’t remembered, but then again, the experiments were so bad at that time, I made myself block a good portion of it out. That—or they took it from me, as they took so many of his memories from him.” 

He debated walking away from this...leaving Sephiroth to his darkness, but he couldn’t. This man had been his friend, and there was so much hurt in his voice now. “Why did they bring him to Shinra?” 

Sephiroth gave a tight grin, and Zack swore he saw his eyes begin to almost slit, but they were back to normal after a breath. “Hojo brought them all...all the Omegas. He paraded them in front of the President, his new creations. He swore to them that these children would eventually lead them to the Promised Land, and in doing so, condemned them all to their fates.” 

“How is being an Omega going to get us to the Promised Land?” Zack questioned. Sephiroth shot him a disappointed look, and Zack realized he should have been smarter than that. “The baby.” 

“The baby,” Sephiroth agreed. “Of course, Alphas were needed to produce a new line of super SOLDIERS. Another level from what Hojo could ever accomplish with his mako injections. But Alphas are one thing—and what I am has always been quite another, hasn’t it?” 

“What you are?” Zack was almost afraid to ask. He knew what Hojo had told him in the lab….he just didn’t know how self aware Sephiroth was of just what they had made. 

Sephiroth hung his head then, leaning over the edge as he stared down at the water. “What does it matter?” he asked after a while, slowly shaking his head. “What matters is that I was supposed to breed him. They let me choose...because I’m not one of you.” Zack kept his face blank, fighting the urge to comfort this man who was clearly in so much pain. “I wasn’t born with a soulmate. ...They manufactured that as well.” 

“Sephiroth…” Zack spoke, already knowing that Cloud wasn’t his, but to hear the raw pain of knowing behind the other’s voice was enough to make the cold anger he was harboring begin to break. 

“You’re my friend,” Sephiroth spoke softly. “You’ve always been a good person, and so allow me to acknowledge the fact that I wronged you. Allow me to beg forgiveness for not being able to give him up...even for someone who has only ever shown me kindness.” His fingers twitched while gripping the edge. “I have security cameras in the suite. ...I wasn’t about to leave him without knowing he was safe.” Sephiroth’s hands were shaking now as he couldn’t seem to bring himself to look over. “I saw what you did. I saw you save him when I could not.” Sephiroth did finally look up at that, and Zack felt his heart clench at the way this man was on the precipice of breaking. “Thank you. I’m forever in your debt, Zachary, but let it be done. He’ll go to you if you ask him, and so I need to make it clear that that’s not something I will ever allow to happen.” 

Zack frowned at the underlying threat, taking all that he had said in as he turned to face him. “You don’t know him very well if you think he doesn’t actually love you. We’re more than our instincts...that’s why I didn’t bite him during his heat.” 

“How’d that work out for you?” Sephiroth questioned darkly. 

His fists clenched as he kept the anger pushed down. “Clearly not well,” he spoke softly. “Still, I never wanted him to feel that wanting him was because of what he was. It’s always been about who he is. You say that they put him in your path...that they made you pick one of them...well why did you pick him?” 

“He saved my life,” Sephiroth spoke simply. “I told you, the experiments were so bad back then. I dreamt of escaping—dreamt of dying. When they paraded those Omegas in, I used the distraction to slip away. I pick-pocketed a keycard and managed to get up to the roof. ...I would have jumped if he hadn’t stopped me. ..This child who was staring up at me with the brightest blue eyes I’d ever seen.” 

“What did he say to you?” Zack questioned, not believing Sephiroth would have been driven to such a state. What the hell had Hojo done to him in his life? ...Done to them all. 

Sephiroth gave a shaky laugh. “He told me I had pretty hair.” He swept his fingers through his unkempt locks at that, and Zack remembered back to when Cloud had seen Sephiroth down in the slums. ...Everything really did come around. “He then asked me if I was trying to fly. He asked if I could teach him, because he also wanted to fly away. He told me he would follow me if I succeeded.” Sephiroth pressed a hand against his face, and Zack saw it etched with pain. “His eyes were so hollow...he was so skinny. This child who had been paraded in front of Shinra like he was cattle.” 

“I’m going to kill them all one day,” Zack spoke. “For what they did to him,” he hesitated. “...For what they did to you.” 

“Why Zachary,” Sephiroth spoke, having yet to remove the hand pressed to his eyes. “I didn’t know I had made it quite so high on your list of vengeance.” 

“They deserve worse,” he spoke, voice dripping with hatred. “So you didn’t jump because he would have jumped? That it?” 

“I didn’t jump because the next thing he said to me was that there was no proof it would be better,” Sephiroth murmured. “He’d obviously tried before...to end the sadness behind those eyes. He didn’t attempt to stop me from jumping. He just promised he would go with me if I tried. It was the first choice ever given to me.” 

“Do you really think he would have jumped?” Zack questioned quietly. 

Sephiroth sighed, and when he put his hand down, Zack could see his eyes were shining. “I think he does a lot of things for me that he shouldn’t...including that child. He’s never going to carry it to term,” Sephiroth spoke hollowly. “I would never let such an abomination be born.” 

“Seph,” Zack spoke, eyes wide. “It’s your child…” 

“Haven’t you been listening?” Sephiroth questioned. “Nothing has ever really been mine. What is inside him is only there because they manufactured it to be. There’s no proof letting it be born would be better,” he repeated the words Cloud had spoken to him. 

Zack knitted his eyebrows, not able to comprehend the pain behind that exhausted voice. How little did Sephiroth truly think of himself? What did he see when he looked in the mirror? “Seph—” he spoke softly, lunging forward then and wrapping the taller man in his arms. The other was stiff against him, arms pressed awkwardly to his side as Zack pulled him closer. “We’ll figure it out, okay?” he told him, wondering what he was doing embracing the man who had ruined his life. 

Had he really though? Had it ever been up to Sephiroth when it came to who was pressing themselves between Cloud’s thighs? Hojo had done this. ...The President had done this. 

He would make them pay. 

Hesitant arms slowly rose as Sephiroth embraced him back, pulling away as he stared down into his face. “You really are the better man,” Sephiroth spoke, face stricken as he turned and headed back down below deck. 

Sephiroth would never know that on that star, Zack had wished for him to finally find peace. ...He wondered if it would come true. 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short update! I was going to have an entire segment with Cloud, but I actually liked how this went between them. I feel sorry for them both. It feels great to do an update after the delay. Sorry for the long span. Thanks so much for reading, and let me know what you thought!


	24. The Beginning of the Battle; the End of the War

Chapter 24: The Beginning of the Battle; the End of the War

Cloud’s fingers trailed down his stomach as he stared at himself in the mirror with a frown. It was barely perceptible, but there was a slight bulge to his belly that hadn’t been there a month ago. 

A month—that’s how long Sephiroth had been gone for. 

He was starting to go insane. Tseng had come the day after Sephiroth and Zack had gotten on that ship and told him that not under any circumstances was he to leave the suite. At the time he thought he might be dying, and so it was easy to agree to such a request. Now? He was just bored out of his mind. 

He was bored, and he was starting to get a stomach. His thumb hooked into his navel as he stood there in just his boxers. He was almost three months along now. Their baby was thriving now that it was no longer making him so sick. 

Now he just wanted Sephiroth to come home to him. He just wanted something to focus on besides how stir crazy he was going being locked in a suite with every amenity he could possibly want. 

Sephiroth hadn’t called him in over a week, and Cloud was trying not to panic. He knew he was neck deep in battles over in Wutai. His mate had sworn to him it would be over soon. He had promised he’d be home. 

Cloud sighed in frustration, padding into the bedroom and ripping open the closet that had been stocked to perfection with his own clothes. He used to just live out of a trunk and wear standard fatigues...and now? He wore designer clothes that Rufus Shinra had specifically picked out for him. Dressed like a doll to fit Shinra’s idea of just who should be bedding their hero. 

He pulled on dark jeans and a baggy black sweater, pulling on boots as he considered just how much trouble he would be in if they knew what he was planning on doing. Cloud rolled his eyes at that thought. All he wanted to do was go on a walk, and it felt like he was setting off to rob a bank or something. 

This penthouse suite had become a prison of luxury. It had become his hell. He was becoming something he didn’t even recognize. What would Sephiroth even be coming home to? ...Or would he like it that he was a kept pet? 

Oh well—he supposed it didn’t matter now. Not when he was already in this deep. Not when he knew Sephiroth would never leave him willingly...not while he was carrying his child. Oh well...he supposed it was better to ask forgiveness than permission. He just couldn’t stand the idea of having to stay in the apartment for one second more just waiting for Sephiroth to come home. 

He held his breath as he reached for the door handle, instantly feeling revulsion travel down his spine at the thought of disobeying. Sephiroth had begged him to stay unless he was in trouble. He had promised to listen, and the thought of disobeying his Alpha made him physically ill. 

He hated it. 

He hated whatever form of control this was that seemed to be taking more and more of his freedoms away. It seemed to be erasing him with every day that passed as this baby got bigger in his belly. Or maybe this was who he always was? Maybe if he could remember more of his childhood, he wouldn’t be surprised by his need to obey. 

Cloud stepped out into the hallway on the empty SOLDIER floor, pushing down the revulsion. He refused to believe that even if he had been born to be submissive, that his rebellious personality wouldn’t have shined through. Besides, it’s not as if he was looking to get in any trouble. He just wanted to go on a walk. It’s not like any harm could ever come from going on a walk. 

So many of the troopers were deployed to Wutai right now that all of the hallways seemed almost barren. Shinra Headquarters was now just filled with corporate bureaucrats who scowled at him as he passed by in the halls. If only they knew that while they were pushing pencils, their leaders had designed him to drag them kicking and screaming to this so-called Promised Land. ...As if a place away from this nightmare actually existed. 

Blue eyes scanned the cameras as he passed by in the hallways, heading towards the cafeteria. He wasn’t misbehaving. They’d have no reason to force him back into the room if he didn’t give them one. He had learned his lesson after he had woken up with Rufus Shinra’s gun under his chin. 

It felt strange to be in a busy cafeteria full of voices. He had gotten beyond used to the quiet. He hadn’t talked to anyone in person since they had left for the war. The need to sink against the wall was strong as he pulled out some Gil and stepped up to order lunch. 

...He wasn’t doing anything wrong. He just wanted a burger and to hear surrounding conversations. He hated the fact that he felt like he was angering his mate. He hated this fear he felt as he was put into a social situation. This wasn’t who he was. He wasn’t a simpering Omega. ...Whatever that entailed. 

Cloud kept his head down as he found a table near the news display, speaking of Shinra’s innovations throughout Gaia. He watched in fascination as the hologram showed Sephiroth fighting against the Wutai as it spoke of joining the SOLDIER program. 

His mate was even gorgeous while probably more than a little annoyed they were making him film a propaganda video. He snickered a little at the thought as he dipped a fry in ketchup. He could only imagine the push back Sephiroth had given the camera crew when they had asked him to do that assignment. 

“Hi.” Cloud jumped at the soft voice, dropping the fry just before it got to his mouth as his eyes widened at the person who had sat across from him. How had he just snuck up on him like that? How had he not noticed him sit down? 

“Hi,” he managed back, not able to let the surprise be wiped from his face as he took in the appearance of the stranger. He looked… He looked like Sephiroth. He remembered what Zack had told him about the other Omega. “Are you Kadaj?” 

The man nodded slowly, grinning at him as Cloud couldn’t look away from those eerie slitted green eyes. “And you’re my brother.” 

“Uh,” Cloud managed, looking around as he scanned for any sign of Hojo or the Shinras. “I-I’m...I’m really not.” His voice sounded weird to his own ears, warning bells going off in his head as Kadaj reached over and grabbed one of his fries. 

“Of course you are,” Kadaj spoke, grabbing for the ketchup as he squeezed it with both of his hands, creating a towering mound on Cloud’s plate that he could dig another fry in. “I’ve been looking for you. Mr. Shinra told me I could meet you eventually, but that you were sick.” 

“Mr. Shinra?” Cloud questioned, watching as Kadaj grabbed eagerly for more fries. 

“Rufus,” Kadaj answered, grabbing for his burger as he dug his teeth in. 

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re not supposed to just eat someone’s food?” Cloud questioned, fascination being overruled with annoyance. 

Kadaj shrugged, taking another bite. “I was hungry,” he spoke, as if that were the only explanation he needed. “Did you want to go buy another one? You can—I’ll wait.” 

Cloud frowned at him. “How thoughtful of you.” 

“I’m a thoughtful guy,” Kadaj spoke, sucking the grease from his thumb. “You don’t look so sick. From the way they were talking you would think you’d have kicked the bucket.” 

“Who’s they?” Cloud asked with suspicion, eyes narrowed. 

“Rufus,” Kadaj answered again, tilting his head as he thought about it. “And Hojo...I don’t really think it’s a secret.” 

“Could have fooled me,” Cloud murmured, feeling ill at the thought of Hojo knowing he was sick. “What are you doing in Midgar?” 

“Prize for good behavior,” Kadaj answered. 

“Your good behavior?” Cloud questioned with curiosity. 

Kadaj sighed dreamily, resting his chin in his hand. “Obviously not, brother,” he stated, as if Cloud had said something beyond stupid. “Good behavior for whoever they give me to. I hear the war in Wutai is going to determine it.” 

Cloud’s nose curled in disgust at just the thought. “That’s degrading. How can you let them treat you like that?” 

The Omega grabbed for Cloud’s soda, sucking loudly at the straw as he raised an eyebrow. “Like what?” 

“A whore,” Cloud spoke, fingers tracing over his belly under the table as he realized he was in the exact same situation. But Sephiroth and Zack wouldn’t let them use him. They had a plan. They had sold their souls to Rufus for that plan. 

Kadaj’s face broke into a grin at those words, before he started to laugh. “I’m the whore?” Aqua green eyes glared at him as the Omega slammed his hands on the table. “You call me a whore when you’re with Sephiroth?” 

“I’m mated to Sephiroth,” Cloud bit out, not liking the tone. 

“Right,” Kadaj murmured, voice full of sarcasm. “You’re mated. Why you, exactly?” He leaned forward. “You think I’m not good enough to suck Sephiroth’s dick?” 

“I don’t think I know you well enough to know where your talents lie,” Cloud murmured, glancing around nervously to see if anyone had noticed him yet. “But believe me...in no world were you getting anywhere close to his dick.” 

“Oh?” Kadaj started teasingly. “Kitten’s got claws...and what of that other one then? The one who could have slept with me, but didn’t. Can I go near his dick?” 

“Well he already turned you down,” Cloud murmured, liking this man less and less. “So I suppose you have your answer. But don’t take it personally...he doesn’t just fuck people because they can get wet for him.” 

Kadaj raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Is that why you think your Alpha fucks you? Because you can get wet? ...That’s very interesting.” 

“Not really,” Cloud replied. “It’s just a fact.” 

“Now now,” Cloud stiffened at the voice, feeling a shudder go up his spine as Rufus Shinra sank down next to him, wrapping his arms around his shoulder. “Don’t let Sephiroth hear you talk like that. We need him happy.” 

Cloud tried to pull out of Rufus’ hold, but the Vice-President held strong, fingers stroking over his shoulder blades. “I was just taking a walk.” 

Rufus leaned over, nose buried in his neck as he inhaled. “And are you allowed to take walks?” 

He repressed a shudder, looking over into Rufus’ pale blue eyes. “Rufus,” he started. 

“Vice-President,” Rufus corrected, mouth tilting up in a reproachful smirk. 

“Vice-President,” Cloud corrected himself. “I just needed out. It’s been a month.” 

“Oh?” Rufus asked, fingers playing at the nape of Cloud’s neck. “Getting lonely up there all by yourself?” 

“I could have walked him,” Kadaj pointed out. “If he had asked.” 

Rufus grinned at the suggestion. “What a fantastic idea, Kadaj. What do you say, Cloud? You want to go on a walk with one of your kind?” 

Cloud glowered at the pampered brat. “I’m a person...not a pet,” he bit out. “I don’t need to be walked. I don’t need to be kept!” Sephiroth would be disappointed in him. He had begged him to behave. “What’s to stop me from leaving?” 

“What’s to stop you?” Rufus asked, honest surprise and curiosity in his normally bored tone. “To be honest...I’m curious myself.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a keycard and sliding it over. “Go ahead.” 

He swallowed the lump in his throat, staring down at the keycard, knowing it was a trap. Things here were always a trap. Cloud glanced around the cafeteria, not seeing any Turks ready to pounce. 

Kadaj smirked at him from across the table. “Well...there’s your ticket to freedom. Want to go, dear brother? I’ll go with you.” 

“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Rufus agreed, pulling out his phone. “I’ve transferred 15,000 gil to your account, Kadaj. Take him back to his home if he wants to leave us so badly.” 

“Nibelheim?” Cloud asked, every hair on the back of his neck raised with how much this felt like a trap. “They wouldn’t let me…” Sephiroth would be home soon. This was never the plan. They were going to escape together. However, if he did manage to get out, then maybe Sephiroth could meet him there. ...Maybe this really was their chance. “Why are you doing this? Why really?” 

Rufus sighed boredly, fingers still playing at his nape. “I have my reasons. ...Are you saying no, pet?” 

“I’m not saying no,” Cloud disagreed, because at this point he would have done anything to not have to go back to that apartment. “But what will you tell Sephiroth? What will you tell Zack?” 

“I’ll tell them where you went,” Rufus assured him. “I wouldn’t want to bring two SOLDIER’s wrath upon me after all.” 

“They’re watching,” Cloud argued. 

Rufus sighed in annoyance. “Why don’t you let me take care of that?” He arched a blond brow. “I’m not afraid of Hojo.” 

“Then you’re an idiot,” Cloud assured him, reaching out with shaky hands to take the keycard as he inhaled Rufus’ no doubt expensive cologne. “Your name won’t protect you from him.” 

“I’m more than my name, I assure you.” Rufus leaned in close so that Cloud could see every speckle of his eyes. “Don’t disappoint me now. Kadaj knows how to get you out.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Cloud managed, swallowing audibly as he pulled away from the Shinra Prince. He held his breath as he pushed away from the table, walking quickly towards the exit as he could sense Kadaj on his heels. He knew without a doubt that he should go back up to the SOLDIER floor. He should go back and wait for his mate. Whatever Rufus was planning was bad….it was a trap, and yet he couldn’t make himself stop. He couldn’t stomach the thought of going back. Whatever might come next, he was going home—back to Nibelheim. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

“I’m going to vomit,” Reno managed, and Zack grinned as he wrapped his arm around that slender waist. 

“Hold it in,” the SOLDIER commanded, laughing as he all but supported the Turk. They were going back to Midgar tomorrow. The war was over, and everyone was taking a night to celebrate their victory. ...Reno had started rather early on the celebrations. 

A month in this sticky hot heat had set all of their brains a bit boiling. Heat and death...all for a cause they no longer believed in. Yet, now it was over. Fucking finally. The war that he had been fighting since leaving Gongaga was over, and they would get to go home. He would get to see Cloud again...for better or worse. 

This time away...when all he had to think about was survival and not the politics of Shinra’s breeding program. It hadn’t made the ache for the omega go away...it had just made hurt less. His and Sephiroth’s relationship had been strained, but professional. He was able to take his commanding officer’s orders without wanting to bash his face in. 

It was getting easier to imagine a life without both of them. 

To imagine leaving Shinra and starting over. ...After he had helped Cloud. There was a clarity in all this death and war. He knew what he had lost, just like he knew what more he had to give up before all was said and done. There was no helping it. He wouldn’t be their puppet, and he wouldn’t let Sephiroth or Cloud suffer either. Zack glanced down to the inebriated Turk...he supposed he needed to add one more name to that list. 

“Why’d you let me take that last shot?” Reno whined, and Zack hefted him up more as he practically walked the drunk Turk back to the hotel. 

“I did that?” Zack asked, laughing as he shook his head. “I happen to remember you buying the last seven rounds...insisting on the tequila.” 

Reno moaned at just the reminder. “Since when do you ever listen to me?” 

“You’re right,” Zack agreed, using the keycard as he pushed into their shared room. “I should always stick with my instincts.” Zack helped Reno over the threshold, walking him over to the bed as he let him collapse back on top of it. 

“Isn’t that kind of your problem?” Reno questioned, hands working sloppily to drag off his tie as he wiggled out of his shoes. “Not trusting your instincts?” 

Zack glanced back at him, eyebrow raised as he took pity on the drunk idiot, helping him with his socks as the other wiggled out of his jacket. “What do you mean?” 

“You’re noble,” Reno managed. “True and noble to the very end...people take advantage.” 

The SOLDIER frowned down at the redhead, hands going towards the black dress pants as he helped the other pull them down his hips. “I think I do alright for myself.” He wasn’t a naive idiot. He knew he had been used by Cloud. He knew he had been played. It didn’t bother him in the sense Reno was implying. 

“Are you undressing me?” Reno questioned, fingers sloppily working at unbuttoning his white dress shirt. 

“I don’t want to clean puke off your clothes later,” Zack explained, eyes roaming over the pale creamy flesh revealed as Reno gave up and let his arms fall above his head. 

“Not going to puke,” Reno assured him, bleary eyes watching him. 

Zack’s eyes were locked with those burnt red orbs, and he realized maybe he shouldn’t have drank so much either. “I don’t believe you. I’ll get you a bucket.” 

He took a deep breath to try to clear his head as he turned towards the bathroom to grab for the trashcan. Violet eyes shut as his arm was grabbed, and he already knew what to expect as he was spun around. “Reno wait—” 

The Turk was standing on his own two feet now and clad in just boxers and the open button down. Reno shoved him then, and Zack grunted as he was pushed up against the wall, exhaling as that slender body pressed against him. 

“What more do I have to do?” Reno questioned. “I’ve practically been throwing myself at you since that night down in the slums. Why won’t you sleep with me?” he slurred. 

“You’re drunk,” Zack pointed out, grinning at him as he wrapped his arms around those slim hips, hands splaying up his back. “You need to sleep...you don’t need fucked.” 

“There you go again,” Reno practically purred, hands ripping at Zack’s belt. “Being true and noble. I’ve been fucked plenty when I’m drunk.” He ripped the belt completely out of its loops, holding it up as he raised an eyebrow. “You want to whip me first? Tie me up?” Zack felt his breath hitch, arousal traveling straight to his cock. “What gets you off?” 

Zack reached out, grabbing at red spikes as he yanked his head back so that he was looking up at him, making sure there was clarity in those eyes as he pressed against the other. “We shouldn’t…” 

“Why shouldn’t we?” Reno questioned, hands working on Zack’s pants as he didn’t once look away from the intense stare. “You think I’m too forward? I’ve been patient with you. I’ve listened to hours upon hours of your bitching about Cloud. I had to stop myself multiple times from sucking you off while you were sleeping.” 

Zack laughed at that, smiling as he shook his head back and forth. “You’re insane.” 

“I’m horny,” Reno argued. “And I can feel that you are too...or is that a gun in your pocket?” Reno pushed his hand down Zack’s boxers, and the SOLDIER moaned as a hand wrapped around his cock. “He broke up with you. Get over it...or better yet...get even.” Reno leaned into his ear. “Put you big cock in me and do whatever an Alpha does.” 

“You have quite a mouth on you,” Zack managed, teeth gritted in pleasure as he backed them up towards the bed. “Thought you were saving yourself for Rufus?” 

Reno shook his head. “Soldier boy...are you really this dense?” Reno pushed Zack’s pants and boxers down to the floor, and he slipped off his boots as he stepped out of him. “I’ve been sleeping in your room...I’ve been throwing myself at you...what more do I have to do? What does Cloud do to get you all so crazy for him?” Zack growled a warning, not wanting to talk about his Omega when someone else’s hand was pumping his cock. 

“Oh?” Reno questioned. “That’s what it takes? Do I gotta piss you off like he does?” He lashed out then, punching Zack in the face. “Do I gotta hurt you like he does to get you to take notice?” 

Zack grunted at the pain, sclera extended and eyes glowing when he looked back over to the Turk who was sliding his boxers down to the floor. “You want to know what gets me off?” he snarled at the other, showing his fangs. 

“Fuck you’re hot,” Reno managed, walking closer and ignoring the danger. “Tell me,” he managed, shoving Zack hard into the wall, dropping to his knees before the other. “Tell me what gets you off.” 

Zack practically howled as that mouth engulfed him, the wet heat surrounding his length. He let his head drop back against the wall, hand coming to those gelled spikes as tightened his grip as Reno opened his throat. They were too drunk for this. ...He just didn’t care anymore. 

He was so sick of doing what he should do. He was so sick of ignoring his instincts and losing everything. His grip tightened, forcing Reno closer, pushing his way down his throat as the other swallowed around him. 

Zack ripped Reno off of him as he felt himself getting close, wanting more as he dragged the Turk up to his feet long enough to spin him towards the desk in the room and slammed him face first on top of it. He kicked at the other’s feet, forcing them wide and open as he palmed himself, spreading Reno’s cheeks and pressing against his entrance. 

“Just going to push inside there, asshole?” Reno questioned, turning back to glare as Zack hesitated, not sure where he went wrong as need rushed over him. Reno raised an eyebrow at his confusion. “I’m not a girl, moron. I don’t just get wet.” Reno pointed towards his discarded suit jacket. “There’s lube in the pocket.” 

Zack’s mouth hung open dumbly at the realization, taking a deep breath to steady himself as he had never had to worry about this with Cloud. His mind went back to their first time...and how special it had been. How much he had wanted him. 

“For fuck’s sake,” Reno managed in annoyance, and Zack was brought out of his memories as hands wrapped around his hips, pulling his wet cock all the way inside. 

Zack moaned at the feeling of being enveloped in the heat, gritting his elongated teeth as Reno buried his face into his forearms, tightening around him as he obviously tried to adjust. “Idiot,” he managed to get out, being much too out of it at this point to stop as he pulled out, thrusting back in as the desk slammed into the wall. 

Pleasure coursed down his spine as he rocked within that tightness, hand gripping those red spikes again as he forced Reno’s head into the desk, pistoning his hips inside him. He shifted his hips, and he heard Reno let out a whine of pleasure, changing the position to press over and over against that spot. 

“Harder…” Reno managed, pressing back up against him. “I know you want to...I know this isn’t you letting loose.” 

Zack growled, pulling out of that tight passage as he yanked on Reno’s arms to spin him around. He leaned down, lifting him up by the thighs as eager arms wrapped around his neck and then they were kissing. 

Their lips crashed against each other as he stumbled towards the bed, falling down on top of it as he slid back into the Turk as his tongue slid into his mouth. Reno’s hands wrapped around Zack’s back, nails digging into it as he dragged his shirt over his head. Zack shook his head as they were separated, diving back into the kiss the moment Reno threw it across the room. 

Creamy white thighs wrapped around his hips as Zack thrust deeper, slowing down from his pace on the desk. His hand pressed between their bodies, wrapping around Reno’s leaking member as he angled his thrusts until he heard the redhead let out a shaky moan. 

“I don’t want to just fuck you into submission,” Zack managed, kissing along the other’s neck. “I want you to feel it.” Zack leaned back, yanking Reno with him and up onto his lap as those skinny legs hooked around his hips. 

Reno’s arms entwined around his neck as they kissed, the Turk meeting his pace as he rose up and down on top of him. He threw his head back, letting Zack support him as he raised up off the bed. Zack leaned forward as his pleasure peaked, biting Reno’s shoulder as he felt himself spilling over the edge, moaning as that passage tightened around him and he felt a warm wetness splash against his abs as Reno cried out before letting go and letting himself fall backwards onto the mattress. 

Zack leaned back, eyes roaming over the Turk as Reno ran his hands through his hair, laying languidly back with his thighs still obscenely spread. “Don’t,” the redhead managed, eyes opened as he looked up to watch him. 

“Don’t?” Zack repeated, chest rising rapidly from the exertion as his mind ran a million miles an hour on all the reasons they shouldn’t have done what they did. 

“Don’t freak out. It doesn’t have to mean anything.” Reno pushed himself up on his elbows. “I told you I was horny. We go back tomorrow...and I wanted to celebrate winning my first war.” Reno leaned up then, and Zack sighed into the kiss before the other pulled away. “I’m going to go take a shower. You want to join me without that guilty puppy expression on your face...please feel free.” Reno rolled out of the bed, leaning down to his ear before he did. “By the way...you fuck like a champion.” he managed, and Zack stared with wide eyes as the other slipped off his shirt and padded into the bathroom before turning on the spray. 

After that— well...it didn’t take him long to follow. 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nibelheim...I’ve never heard of anything bad happening in Nibelheim…
> 
> Cloud’s an idiot...and Zack fucks like a champ. Basically all things to be aware of. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	25. The End of the War

Chapter 25: The End of the War 

“What do you mean he’s gone?” It was a simple question without a simple answer. A question asked in a calm tone, but laden with unbridled madness and fury. Genesis glanced warily over towards Sephiroth who was staring at his apartment, practically sniffing the air to take in the fact that his mate was no longer inside. In fact, he hadn’t been inside in probably days...maybe weeks. 

“He ran away,” Hojo spoke, no remorse or worry in his tone as he told probably the most dangerous man alive that his mate...the only thing he cared about in the entirety of the world had ran from him. 

“Cloud doesn’t do anything that you don’t know about,” Sephiroth started, voice clipped and full of anger. They had gotten back from Wutai. They had gotten back from winning a war and traveling half way around Gaia...and Sephiroth had dutifully gone straight to see his mate. The one who had managed to quell his heart. 

...Only to find that he wasn’t there. 

“Blondie couldn’t have run far, right?” Genesis questioned. “Not in his...condition.” When he had left Cloud had been mostly dead. How had he even managed to get outside Midgar’s walls? Sephiroth was right...if he had left...he had been allowed to leave. 

“Where’s my mate?” Sephiroth asked, a tumultuous calm just under his voice. 

“Why would I know?” Hojo questioned, eyebrow raised. 

“Tell me,” Sephiroth spoke. “Tell me now!” he hissed, voice breaking. “You have no right to keep him from me.” 

Genesis reached out, looking down the hallway to make sure nobody else saw the leader of Shinra’s army in such a state as he tried to comfort him. “Seph, you aren’t going to get answers from him.” 

“Yet,” Sephiroth started, voice an icy anger. “He has all of them.” 

“Why don’t you answer a question for me when it comes to the Omega,” Hojo started. 

“Your son,” Sephiroth corrected with a hiss. “He’s not just an Omega.” 

“We see things very different, Sephiroth,” Hojo informed him, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. “He’s just an Omega.” 

“He’s never been just anything,” Sephiroth argued, eyes slitted and practically glowing aqua as Genesis attempted to press him back. “Where is he?” 

“Dead,” Hojo spoke quickly, no emotion in his tone that should come from saying those words about his own son. “He miscarried and bled out.” 

“What!?” Genesis exclaimed, at the same time as Sephiroth withdrew his sword and slammed it against Hojo’s neck, slamming him up against the door. 

“Do you think you’re funny?” Sephiroth questioned, his eyes bright pools of aqua, pupils all but gone as blood dripped down the scientist’s neck. 

“Not particularly,” Hojo replied, not seeming to be phased at all by the death literally pressed up against his jugular. “Just wanted to see how you would react.” 

“Give me my mate, or I’ll pull out your lying tongue through your throat slit,” Sephiroth promised him, and Genesis noticed how something seemed to be almost moving just underneath his leather jacket around his shoulder blades. 

Genesis glanced nervously around, feeling the rage emitting off of Sephiroth...and the power. The lights in the hall had begun to flicker, and he saw Sephiroth’s teeth grow just before a wing split out from the back of his jacket. 

….One black wing. Like a dark angel. Though he was fully aware that Sephiroth was anything but. He had been witness to the slaughter of the Wutai in order to win the war quickly to return. It had been inhumane. Sephiroth was every bit the monster of any child’s fairytale. He was a trained killer...an army onto himself. The wing was yet another distinction raising him above the rest of them into a SOLDIER class all his own. 

“Where is he?” Sephiroth spoke, and there was death dripping from his tone. Even Hojo looked alarmed as he stared passed the teeth and eyes at the wing that slandered him as something beyond Alpha...something beyond human. 

“That’s very interesting.” The scientist spoke in a calming demeanor, obviously being able to tell when he had gone too far as the hallway of their quarters became peppered in raven-like feathers. “You’re mutating...or perhaps...discovering latent abilities. You must let me take you to the lab.” 

Genesis scoffed quietly, lest he draw the attention of the man practically radiating like a bomb. Asking Sephiroth to do something in the best of times was risky. Asking him to go get experimented on when he looked so close to snapping was a level of stupidity he didn’t realize the scientist was capable of...nevertheless...he couldn’t just let Sephiroth kill him. 

“Seph,” he tried. “Hojo isn’t the only one to ask. Calm down and we’ll find him.” 

“Find who?” Was the question asked, and Genesis groaned at the coming confrontation as Zack came down the hallway with his travel bag. He knew he had tried to come up later than Sephiroth...less he see any of their reunion. He supposed none of that mattered now. He had always liked Zack, but the SOLDIER would snap back from all of this. ...Sephiroth wouldn’t snap back. “Seph...what is that?” Zack set down his bag, clearly realizing what was happening with the Alpha as he held his hands up as he approached. “What’s going on?” 

“Lieutenant Fair,” Hojo greeted, throat bobbing along the blade pressed against it. “Just the person I was coming to see.” 

Zack’s eyes narrowed as they focused in on Hojo, before flickering back to Sephiroth. “Is Cloud okay?” 

Growling filled the air as Sephiroth turned those glowing eyes onto Zack. “He’s missing. Ran away apparently.” Each word spoken with such underlying malice that Genesis had the urge to grab Zack and run. “Why were you looking for him, Hojo?” Sephiroth asked, not bothering to look back at the scientist as his death glare was narrowed on Zack. 

Hojo pressed his glasses up his nose, careful with every movement as a tendril of blood seeped down onto the collar of his lab coat. “I synthesized more of the antidote. I was going to give it to the Lieutenant to administer to the Omega when he finds him. It is made out of his venom after all.” 

Sephiroth seemed flinch at the words, slowly turning back towards the head of the science division. “I should kill you.” 

“You should,” Hojo agreed. “Yet, you won’t. He’d be dead right now without the antidote. I’ve been administering it to him while you’ve been off winning a war for our President. If you kill me...you lose your source.” 

“Zachary...do something. He’s going to go postal,” Genesis whispered under his breath, motioning to Sephiroth. 

Zack swallowed audibly, raising an eyebrow as Sephiroth’s wing straightened into the air. “You think I’m the best one to keep him rational? He despises me now.” 

“Just do it!” Genesis hissed, grabbing him by the arm and thrusting him forward. 

Stumbling forward, the SOLDIER shot him back a glare before actually reaching out to lay his palm on Sephiroth’s winged shoulder. “Seph. Calm down and we’ll find him.” 

“So you can heal him?” the Alpha questioned, not looking away from Hojo’s dead eyes. “So you can save him again when I can't?” 

“Seph that’s not..” Zack tried, but was interrupted. 

“Isn’t it, though?” Sephiroth asked, taking a step back as he sheathed the Masamune, standing shoulder to shoulder with Zack. “Where is he, Hojo? Lie to me again and you won’t like the results.” 

Hojo sighed, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket to press against his neck to staunch the flow. “I suppose it’s always important in experimentation to know when to draw back, lest you ruin everything and have to start over. Cloud is in Nibelheim.” 

“What?” Sephiroth questioned slowly, inhaling sharply to try to control himself as Genesis watched the wing disappear into a cascade of feathers against his now ruined coat. “Why?” 

“I imagine for all those answers held just beyond the veil,” Hojo mused. “Or did you tell him just what you had discovered about the reactor the last time you were there?” 

“Why was he allowed to leave?” Sephiroth countered with, ignoring the accusation. “He’s under lock and key.” 

“Sephiroth,” Hojo began placatingly. “You make deals with devils, and then you wonder why they stab you in the back. You should really decide where your loyalties lie...especially when those loyalties felt the compulsion to slip your mate a key.” 

“Hand Zachary the antidote,” Sephiroth managed, and Genesis saw his back practically heaving as he struggled for control. He had no idea who Hojo was referring to, but Sephiroth clearly did, and from the narrowed glare on Zack’s face he clearly knew as well. 

Hojo glanced towards Zack, slowly handing over the vile. “Remember that I helped you.” The..scientist glanced back towards Sephiroth. “I’m the one that keeps him alive.” 

“You do,” Sephiroth agreed, voice a chilled calm. “You’re also the one who has tortured him his entire life. You’re the one that let him leave...and don’t say you didn’t, because I know you don’t let him do anything you don’t want him to. Nevertheless...you may still be useful.” 

Genesis saw the SOLDIER’s thumb pop his sword out of the hilt, and he barely had enough time to scream his warning before Sephiroth whipped around with the sword, slitting Hojo’s throat as blood sprayed all over the hallway. 

“Sephiroth!” Zack exclaimed, crouching down in front of Hojo as his hands pressed against the gushing wound. 

“Relax,” Sephiroth started, resheathing his sword as he stared down at the bleeding man in disdain. “I didn’t cut his carotid. He’ll live if he keeps pressure on the wound.” His glowing eyes roamed over Zack, and then glanced back to him. “You will both be shot on sight for participating, however. We probably should get going and take advantage of whatever head start we’re going to get.” He stepped closer to the man coated in his own blood. “Help him put pressure on it Zachary. We have to go now.” 

“Are you insane?” Zack questioned, not letting up on the pressure as glared back at the man. “They’re going to come after us. They’re going to kill us for this!”

Sephiroth cocked his head as Zack brought Hojo’s hands up to his own neck to stop the bleeding. “That’s an interesting smell on you.” 

“Is it annoyance?” Zack questioned, eyes furious as he stood up away from the bloodshed. 

“Infidelity,” Sephiroth replied, staring the other down as his cheeks lit up pink. “Ah, so it’s true. Who was it? Who did you go to while you thought nothing of him?” 

“Don’t speak to me of infidelity,” Zack murmured. “I assure you...you won’t enjoy my points of debate.” 

“We need to go,” Sephiroth spoke in reply, and Genesis focused in on the way Hojo was clinging tightly to his wound. 

“Obviously, Sephiroth,” Zack murmured. “You’ve doomed us to hell.” 

“And what if there is no hell? What if we just sink into the planet?” the Alpha questioned. “What then of your morality, Zachary? Should I tell Cloud that I smell Reno all over you?” 

“Should I tell him that you slit his father’s throat?” Zack questioned right back. “Or is murder no longer at the top of your moral outrage? Though I suppose it wouldn’t be...not after Wutai.” 

“I did what I had to,” Sephiroth replied, eyes narrowed at the insinuation. 

“Keep telling yourself that,” Zack bit out. “Maybe someday it will be true.” 

Sephiroth glowered at the SOLDIER, before those glowing eyes turned to Genesis “Are you coming? I can’t guarantee your life here, but if you leave with us that will crumble to ruins.” 

Genesis shrugged. “Never been one to turn down excitement...especially not when Omegas were involved.” 

“I hope you get what you want, Genesis,” Zack managed, wiping his bloody hands along his pants. “You deserve this pain.” 

“They’re not all like him, you know,” Genesis assured him. “They’re not all like Cloud. Perhaps you should both learn that and find a different fixation.” 

Sephiroth walked over to him, leaning down as he still managed to tower over him.  
“Try it some time...you might like it.” 

“I hate you,” Genesis spoke. “I hate you for forcing this on me for someone you think you love.” 

“I know,” Sephiroth responded with. “We’re going though. So suit up.” He looked towards Zack. “I imagine I can pry you away from your...prior commitments.” 

“You’re a bastard,” Zack replied, lips curled up above his teeth. “You’ve damned us all.” 

“Maybe,” Sephiroth agreed. “I may have condemned us to death, but he sees the inside of that reactor...he’ll wish for death long before Shinra reaches us.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s been awhile since I’ve updated. Honestly, I backed myself into a bit of a hole, and was convinced everyone hated the story now. I had since gotten a plan to crawl my way out that I hope you all will like. I apologize for the short chapter. It was just kind of a jumping off point towards the final chapters. It also helped that I decided to slingshot myself back to the beginning of quarantine and play FFVIIR again. In any case...I know this was short and relatively uneventful, but hopefully you all are still liking the story!


	26. Barroom Chill

Chapter 26: Barroom Chill 

“Are you going to keep hurling your cookies?” Kadaj questioned, and Cloud looked up with a glare from the ship as they were nearly back to Nibelheim. They had been traveling for weeks, and thankfully it was nearly over. The captain had just announced over the intercom that they would be docking in 20 minutes. It was only a short chocobo ride after that. 

That of course didn’t stop Cloud’s stomach from regurgitating the small bit of food he had managed to consume for the hundredth time of their journey. His hand pressed against the small lump that was his belly, wondering if this would be the time he managed to literally throw up his guts. 

“Just give me a second,” he tried, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and ignoring Kadaj’s look of disgust. “You don’t have to be here, you know.” 

“Rufus told me not to let you out of my sight,” Kadaj argued, handing Cloud a rag as the distaste written all over his face was palpable. “Is this because of the baby? I always thought they’d be pleasant.” 

“Why?” Cloud questioned, flushing the remnants of his stomach out into the sea before sitting back on the bench by the Omega. “Because they told you it was your purpose to have one? Just like it’s your purpose to please.” 

“Careful, Brother,” Kadaj started, seeming to ignore the way Cloud’s eye twitched at the label. “Your hypocrisy is showing again.” 

“Meaning what exactly?” They had been holled up in the cabin Rufus had purchased for them on the ship, and Cloud longed for the day he could get away from the permanent reminder of just what he was meant to be in life, and back into the fresh air where hopefully things would begin to make at least a semblance of sense. 

“Mmmmmeaannninnngg….you’re the one with the baby in your belly,” Kadaj began to count on his hand. “You’re the one who fucked two Alphas so properly that they’re literally willing to fight over you. You’re the first Omega with a mate.” He was up to three fingers now, and Cloud’s irritation was only growing. “You were hand picked to carry Sephiroth’s heir and us into the Promised Land.” 

“I get your point,” Cloud stopped him before he could continue. “I suppose I am then, happy?” 

“Would be a lot happier if I could get away from your puke,” Kadaj spoke under his breath, crossing his arms as he leaned back, head lolling back as he stared up at the ceiling. “I wish Rufus was an Alpha.” 

Cloud snorted at that, turning to arch a brow at the other. “Why?” 

“Besides the fact that he’s going to run Shinra soon?” Kadaj started, shaking his head at Cloud like he was an idiot. “Have you seen his face?” 

“Not my type,” he said shortly, ignoring the incredulous look Kadaj shot his way at the response. 

“Rufus Shinra is everyone’s type.” It was said so matter of factly, that all Cloud could do was slowly shake his head. 

“I feel like I have a friend you’d get along with,” Cloud murmured sarcastically, wondering if Reno had returned yet from Wutai. This of course led to more difficult questions. Like was Sephiroth back...was Zack? What did they think? He hadn’t left any clue of where he went, though he had no doubt Hojo was probably aware. Rufus had also promised to tell them. 

Sephiroth wouldn’t understand. Cloud had played every scenario over and over again inside of his head, and his mate would never forgive him for leaving. Sephiroth—who never had anything of his own his entire life. Sephiroth—who knew exactly how precarious the pregnancy was. 

He wouldn’t forgive him. 

Cloud ached for his mate. Every day he made the executive decision not to call him, lest they be tracked, was another day he fell asleep in agony. Sephiroth was hurting, and he had no doubt he was the cause...and Zack—well Zack wouldn’t be in the position to offer him any kind of benevolence for his actions either. Even if it meant setting the SOLDIER free of him. 

“Must be nice, huh?” Kadaj questioned him, giving him a sideways look of amusement. “Having friends.” 

“You’ve never had a friend?” the blond questioned, that familiar pang of guilt warring inside of his stomach with the nausea. 

Kadaj slowly shook his head, face set more into resignation rather than sadness. “Nah. You were the one who always got the preferential treatment.” Cloud considered the fact that he had been tortured his entire life, and wondered that if Kadaj thought he had been treated special, just what he must have gone through in his own childhood. 

“I’ve never seen it quite like that.” Cloud didn’t know what else to say, feeling awkward as he glanced over. 

“Course you haven’t.” Kadaj scoffed. “Poor big brother...always so mistreated,” he sing-songed. “I’m glad we’re back home. Perhaps your pretty blue eyes can open just a little further.” 

Blond eyebrows knitted, not quite knowing what he was supposed to feel guilty for. “Kadaj I…” He wasn’t allowed to continue as a hulking clank signified the stopping of the engines. He swallowed whatever short-sighted apology he had been about to attempt. “We should get above deck. I think we’re here.” 

After they arrived by Chocobo, Cloud led them both into town, pulling a black hood over his spikes to cover them as much as possible as they both passed the group of Shinra troopers set up at the entrance to no doubt guard the reactor. He gripped Kadaj’s elbow, steering them past quickly as the feeling of dread tightened inside of him even as he breathed in the relief that was fresh air. 

Flashes to the last time he was here filled his mind. It hadn’t been under very different circumstances. He had wanted answers then too, and when he had gotten them he wished he had never sated his curiosity. Would it be the same this time? Would he stare into the abyss, and not like what he found staring back? 

Rufus Shinra had not sent him here out of the kindness of his heart...if he even had a heart underneath those tailored suits. Whatever he was about to walk into, the Vice-President wanted him to see it. He wasn’t stupid enough to think that this really had anything to do with him, however. He had been sent here, because of who he was mated to. This was about Sephiroth. It was always about Sephiroth. 

“Brother, I’m hungry.” Kadaj whined at him, yet allowed himself to get pulled through the streets of the town. “Can’t we stop to eat first? I want pizza. No! I want sushi. No! I want…” 

“Can you attempt to draw less attention to us?” Cloud interrupted him, looking around to make sure they hadn’t drawn the attention of any prying eyes as he did everything possible not to look up towards the old Shinra mansion...and his childhood home. 

“Will you feed me if I do?” Kadaj questioned, grinning at him as he yanked his elbow towards the bar. “Come on. Can’t do dark and ominous missions on an empty stomach.” 

“You eat all the time!” Cloud argued incredulously, never seeing anyone able to continuously pile food into his bottomless stomach like the younger Omega. 

“Because I’m always hungry,” Kadaj argued, yanking on his arm. “Come on. You’re eating for two anyways, and you’ve had nothing but the vomits for days. Can’t grow the world’s savior like that.” 

“By that logic, you must be carrying triplets,” Cloud murmured, deciding to go along with it as Kadaj all but dragged him towards the town bar. He winced. The last time had been in this bar had been right after Zack had found out he cheated on him. That was the day things had all started to go so horribly wrong. 

Kadaj yanked him up to the bar, sliding into a stool as he patted the one beside him. “My brother and I would like menus,” he told the pretty dark haired girl who was currently behind the bar and finishing shaking out a cocktail. 

“For the last time,” he sighed in exasperation. “I’m not your brother.” He recognized the girl. She had been the one Sephiroth had questioned. She had been the one to direct them towards the mansion. 

“Brothers, huh?” Tifa asked, sliding them both menus. “You don’t really look related.” 

“That’s cause we’re no—” 

“Cloud has a different father, is all. He takes after him.” 

“I do not!” Cloud exclaimed, appalled at the very thought as he glowered at Kadaj. 

“And different mothers,” Kadaj continued, dragging the menu right up to his nose. 

“Err…” Tifa murmured, placing a finger up to her chin. “So you have a different mother and a different father?” she questioned with confusion. 

“Duh,” Kadaj stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world as his finger thrust down at the menu. “I want a sausage and goat cheese pizza.” 

“Alright anything el—”

“And buffalo chicken dip,” Kadaj interrupted, and Cloud made a note to start teaching him what manners were when you weren’t acting like a submissive blow-up doll. Something, Cloud had come to find out, was very much an act with the boisterous silver-haired teen. “Oh and bacon grilled cheese.” 

Tifa gave a shaky laugh at the enthusiasm. “Big appetite I see.” 

“Mam,” Kadaj started, face taking on a serious expression as he looked at her with distaste. “I wasn’t finished.” Cloud found himself grinning despite himself as Kadaj spoke with such authority. “I would also like an order of nachos, beef wontons, the onion ring tower, and whatever a milk steak is.” 

“Milk steak?” Cloud questioned, nose curled as he glanced over Kadaj’s shoulder at the menu. “What the hell is a milk steak?” 

“It’s a Nibelheim special!” Tifa added helpfully, scribbling down Kadaj’s order with enthusiasm. 

“Well it shouldn’t be,” Cloud assured her. 

“You’re no fun.” Kadaj rolled his eyes. “Fine. Nix the milk steak.” He glanced over at the blond. “What do you want?” he questioned, because Cloud had no doubt in his mind that he wasn’t planning on sharing any of his. 

“Just a vanilla milkshake please.” Cloud didn’t think his stomach could handle much more than that. 

Kadaj scoffed at the order, glancing over at him in judgement. “You’re so unhealthy.” 

Cloud opened his mouth to point out the fact that Kadaj was calling him unhealthy after having ordered half of the menu, but reached for his water instead as he knew that point would not be grasped by a person who called someone with a different mother and a different father his brother. 

Nevertheless—the crazy little shit was starting to grow on him. 

“Coming right up!” Tifa smiled at both of them. “And don’t worry, our kitchen works fast.” 

“I should make you eat all the food that comes out just to serve you right.” Cloud drew back the hood on his head, rubbing at his greasy spikes as he would kill to find some sort of shower before beginning whatever nightmare he was walking into. 

“Uh Cloud...I’m going to eat it all.” Kadaj spoke matter-of-factly. “I don’t waste food.” 

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Cloud murmured, resting his cheek onto his hand as he watched Kadaj with amusement. “We’re going to have to roll you up to that reactor.” 

“You’re going to the reactor?” Tifa questioned, coming back with Kadaj’s nachos as she set them in front of him, winking. “The rest will be out soon.” 

Kadaj looked her up and down, eyes lingering on her exposed midriff underneath the black t-shirt she wore as he slowly shook his head. “Really barking up the wrong tree if you’re flirting for extra tips. I don’t swing your way if you get my drift...but I can certainly appreciate the view.” 

“Kadaj!” Cloud stopped him, shooting him a warning glare before turning back to Tifa. “Please excuse his manners. He’s a little sheltered.” 

“He doesn’t swing that way either,” Kadaj assured her, motioning over to Cloud. “As a matter of fact, he’s got himself like a harem of boyfriends drooling after him.” 

“Kadaj!” Cloud tried again, cheeks heated with his mortification as he punched the other’s shoulder as Tifa giggled. 

“Well you two certainly argue like brothers.” She turned to grab more food set up in the window. “But I actually already knew all about this so-called harem.” Tifa pointed to Cloud, smiling at him. “I remember you now. You were the one, General Sephiroth, was shooting googly eyes at.” 

Cloud gaped, not even realizing how his cheeks had turned even brighter as he considered just what would happen if Sephiroth had heard someone describe him making googly eyes. “Please don’t ever say that outloud again.” 

“Sephiroth and Cloud sitting in a tree,” the Omega teased. “M-A-T-I-N-G.” 

Tifa looked confused at that as Cloud shot him a murderous gaze. “Did he just spell mating?”

“I’m going to kill you,” Cloud murmured underneath his breath, punching Kadaj’s shoulder again as the other was practically cackling he was laughing so hard. 

His mind flashed back to when he had first gotten to Midgar. He had used to laugh that way. First with Reno...and then with Zack. He had laughed so many times with Zack...back before he had found out why there shouldn’t have been any laughter in his life. Kadaj knew about all of it, though. He knew—and yet he still laughed. 

Cloud grabbed for the milkshake set in front of him, sipping on the sweetness as he glared at Kadaj out of the corner of his eye. For the most part he faked it, as Kadaj’s smile was infectious. “Eat your mountain of food. We have to get going.” 

“Do you need a guide?” Tifa questioned them. “I moonlight as a tour guide up to the mountain every now and then.” 

Kadaj arched an eyebrow at her while simultaneously stuffing two onion rings into his mouth. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re kind of nosy?” 

Cloud kicked his shin before he could stop himself, shooting another death glare as he turned back towards Tifa. “Please ignore him. He was dropped on his head a lot as a child.” 

“I have an absolutely perfect skull,” Kadaj interjected. “How do you think I get my hair to lay this way?” 

He couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping his mouth at that, hanging his head as he shook it back and forth. “He may be a bit dim, but he knows his way up the mountain.” It occurred to Cloud that he actually had no idea if Kadaj knew his way to the reactor. All he knew was that he had no idea what they would find there, and he wasn’t going to risk putting this girl in harm’s way. 

“Suit yourself.” Tifa rolled her eyes playfully, smiling at him. “But I give a mean tour. Absolutely jam packed with fun facts.” She glanced over and frowned in worry at the gusto at which Kadaj was shoveling food into his face. “Sweetheart, you can slow down. It’s not going anywhere.” 

“That sounds amazing, but I don’t think he’d ever let me live it down if I didn’t let him try.” Cloud covered for the lie, also glancing worriedly over to Kadaj as he ate his sandwich in three bites. It reminded of when he had first come to Midgar. He could never get enough food. He had been so skinny...no muscle. He remembered the desire to fend off the other troopers from coming near his food, arm curled around protectively. It made sense now. He had never been given anything by Hojo that wasn’t rationed. Nothing that wasn’t nutritionally measured out to create whatever form he preferred them in. Kadaj was so skinny. Kept thin with feminine features...everything that may be desired in an Omega to attract an Alpha that may or may not swing both ways. 

They were starved to be bate. They were groomed to be lures. 

“Hey,” Cloud started, hand sliding up Kadaj’s back as he leaned in. “I was just joking about eating all that food. You’re going to make yourself sick.” 

“I said I would finish,” Kadaj grumbled, cheeks full as he rolled his eyes at him. Cloud nodded, not having the heart to argue as he sipped at his shake and watched Kadaj shove the very last slice of pizza into his mouth. His nose curled in disgust as the last bit of crust was still sticking out of his mouth when a gagging noise left his mouth, eyes widening in horror as he met Cloud’s own. 

“Don’t you dare!” Cloud tried, shooting back on the bar stool at the same time as Kadaj’s stomach betrayed itself and vomited all over his chest and lap. 

The acrid smell of bile made Cloud gag as he was covered in the other’s vomit. “You are a disgusting little troll beast.” 

Kadaj gagged again, vomiting more all over the floor as he grabbed for his stomach. “I’m sorry, big brother.” 

Guilt immediately ate at him as he recognized the submissive tone, shaking his head as he went over to Kadaj and wrapped his arm around his hip to steady him. “Hey no, it’s okay. Just paying me back for the ship. Come on...we’ll get you cleaned up.” 

“You can use my house!” Tifa interrupted, worry in her tone as she already had a mop at the ready. “I just live upstairs. My dad owns the bar.”

“We couldn’t possibly—” Cloud tried. 

“Oh please!” Tifa brushed him off. “It’s the least I could do. I feel bad for giving him all that food. To be honest, I was curious to see what would have happened. Should have stuck with just the milk steak.” 

“To be honest, I think it may have had the same result,” Cloud managed jokingly, eyebrows arched as Kadaj turned to cling to him, as if he offered some sort of protection. Being more confused now than when he had started, he let his arms slowly come around the Omega’s shoulders as the other whined into his neck. 

“Seriously,” Tifa warned, pointing towards the stairs on the other side of the bar. “If he pukes one more time on my floor I’m holding you personally responsible. March your butts upstairs now. You can have your little adventure later. The reactor isn’t going anywhere.” 

“I’m sorry, brother.” Kadaj whispered into his neck, and Cloud held onto him as he shook like a leaf...hating Shinra, if possible, even more for what they had created with their cruelty. 

Cloud rubbed at his back, glancing towards the stairs in thought. He knew they should head to the reactor as soon as they could, but he was filthy from the ship, and Kadaj was in no condition to trek up the mountain. “Alright.” He nodded his thanks to Tifa. “We will pay you back for this.” He dropped 3,000 gil onto the counter, helping Kadaj slowly up the stairs to clean up. “You better not puke on me again.”   
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Zack grinned as Genesis opened his tenth shooter of vodka since they got into the helicopter. “Take it easy there, Champ.” He laughed. “Where did you get all of those anyways?” 

Genesis shot him a look of annoyance at just the assumption. “It’s coat vodka, Zachary. You should always keep at least a dozen on your person.” He pulled out two more, tossing one to him, before tossing the second over to Sephiroth. “They come in handy when you’re stuck somewhere without a bar...or say for instance.” He tilted his hand back and forth in thought. “You hijack a military vehicle after attacking a top leader in the organization you currently work for.” 

He laughed at the manic anxiety rising up off the SOLDIER. “Well let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” 

Genesis glared at him, glancing over to Sephiroth who hadn’t touched the bottle yet as he grabbed for it. He cracked it open and downed it in one gulp, pushing up to standing as he gripped the racks to move up towards the cockpit. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go keep my idiot cousin, who you somehow convinced to commit grand larceny and treason with you, company while I ruminate on how very very much I hate troubled blonds.” He glanced between them, landing on Sephiroth’s stoic expression, before pushing up towards the front of the helicopter. 

Reno glanced back at him as he came towards the front, and Zack met his eyes as he shook his head in exasperation at the drunk SOLDIER who sunk into the passenger seat. They needed a quick way out of Midgar before the warning bells went off about Hojo. They needed a way to somehow beat Cloud to Nibelheim and stop him from whatever idiotic venture he had currently convinced himself he needed to be on. 

In retrospect, it hadn’t been hard at all to convince Reno to go. He was yet another person who had become categorically enthralled by Cloud’s presence. Even though Reno loved him for completely different reasons...he was still willing to risk it all to help. Zack wondered if Cloud realized his affect on other people. Not because he was an Omega, but because he was a natural born leader...if he could just get out of his own way to see it. 

They hadn’t talked about what had happened on the way home from Wutai, but the guilt ate away at him with every single one of Sephiroth’s judgemental glances. However, it was one of the least worrying things about the General as they got closer and closer to their destination. 

Sephiroth hadn’t said a word since they took off. For the most part he had kept his head lowered, gloved fist clenching open and closed on his knee. Zack had noticed him gripping his head more than once, and his eyes almost seemed to be slitted...much more so than the normal feline grace he usually exalted. 

“Headache?” Zack managed, watching as Sephiroth once more gripped his temple, leather clad fingers pressing against it as if that would stop the pain. 

“Something like that.” It took him a while to respond back, and when he did his voice sounded far away, as if he were distracted. Zack could only imagine just what he was hyper focused on, knowing exactly how the Alpha felt about Cloud. 

He tried to let it go, feeling twitchy as he stood up to do a few squats. “Gil for your thoughts?” He didn’t know why he was trying to pry a conversation out of someone who was still pretty sure he couldn’t stand, but it was better than the awkward silence as cold fury radiated off the SOLDIER. 

“My thoughts?” Sephiroth questioned slowly. “I was just considering all the lessons I’m going to have to instill upon my Omega to get him to behave.” Zack froze mid squat, teeth gritting as those slitted eyes finally turned up towards him. “If you make it too much about pleasure, he’ll never learn. He likes it too much. Did you ever try spanking him? He cums so quickly when you do that, you don’t even get the chance to stick your cock in him. Of course, I always go back for another round.” 

A warning growl escaped Zack’s chest, all humor gone from his face as he stared into the calm maniacal glee that was in the Alpha’s eye as he spoke about what he had done with the love of his life. “Stop it.” 

“You haven’t?” Sephiroth questioned, voice lilted in mockery. “He must have been so bored. Even I was appalled with some of the things he wanted done to him, but he was raised with a bit of a kinky background, was he not?” 

Zack felt his teeth grow, growling louder as he stared down in disgust at his former friend. “I said stop.” The warning felt far away, not able to hear much beyond the blood pounding in his ears. 

“Just doing my best to prevent your new lover from straying when he gets bored.” Sephiroth glanced towards the cockpit. “Cloud is going to smell him all over you. He’s going to hate you.” 

“Think that says a lot more about your relationship with him, than it does mine.” His lips felt numb, his stomach tight with the control it was taking to not grab for the rows of automatic weapons packed away just above his head. 

“Does it?” Sephiroth asked. “Suppose it does. He loves you. I tried to please him. I tried to give him everything he’s never had, and he still ran away from me.” 

“We don’t know why he left,” the SOLDIER argued, not knowing what could be wrong with his head that he was actually counselling this asshole through his feelings. “He had to have had a good reason.” 

“Zachary Fair, unquestionably trusting until the very end.” Zack’s eyes flickered up to the weapons at the mocking tone, and Sephiroth’s followed him, tilting his head in amusement. “It’s your biggest flaw.” 

“Really?” Zack managed, voice slightly shaking as he sliced his tongue on a fang. “A lot of people tell me it’s my inability to shut up.” 

“I planned to take him from you that first night I met him down in the slums.” Sephiroth spoke. “The second I smelled him, I wanted to force him down on his hands and knees and fill that perfect body with my seed.” It felt like the breath had been knocked out of him at the profanity flowing from his friend’s lips. “You ruined my plans, but it didn’t actually take much effort at all to make him believe it was all his idea to stray. Again, his upbringing. He’s very susceptible to manipulation.” 

Zack took a deep breath, feeling Mako roll down his cheeks from his eyes as his instincts were beginning to take over his reason. “There’s something wrong with you.” 

“No doubt,” Sephiroth agreed. “Yet, he chose me anyways. What exactly does that say about you?” He grinned, and a shudder of revulsion traveled down Zack’s spine at the insanity behind that grin as he wasn’t staring into Sephiroth’s eyes at all anymore. 

No. It was like he was someone else. 

“He’s had his fun, though,” Sephiroth concluded. 

“Oh?” Zack heard himself asking, utter disgust in his tone. “Has his life been fun?” 

“It was what Hojo gave him. A chance to be normal. A chance to be something other than what he is.” 

“And what is he?” Zack questioned, feeling his back tooth crack with the pressure he was putting on it. He used the pain to keep himself from snapping. 

“A vessel,” Sephiroth explained. “The perfect vessel who will be the harbinger for what will cleanse this world.” 

“Your child?” Zack questioned with disgust. 

“This world’s destiny,” Sephiroth corrected. “Its end.” 

“You sure seem to think an awful lot about yourself,” the SOLDIER spoke, reaching up to grip the handles as his hand itched towards the rifle.

“Naive child,” the Alpha spoke, palm raised as a ball of fire formed in his hand. “Do you honestly think you’re still speaking with Sephiroth?” 

“Wha?” Zack managed, grabbing for the gun just as the ball in Sephiroth’s palm expanded in an explosion that consumed his flesh. 

“Zack!” He was started awake by a slap across the face, eyes flying open to see Reno leaning down in front of him. “Damn dude, you could sleep through an explosion.” He shook his head, glancing over to the side in almost nervousness, before motioning back to the exit. He realized they were no longer moving. “We’re here.” Reno glanced once more over, before exiting the vehicle. 

His heart was pounding from the dream as he tried to get his bearings, realizing he was leaning against something soft as he sat up, glancing over to meet Sephiroth’s gaze. His chest tightened in disgust and fear as his own eyes flickered across his face to try to take in who he was seeing. 

It was a dream. 

It had just been a dream. 

“Compose yourself,” Sephiroth spoke, and from the concern in his tone, Zack knew he must look a sight. “He’s probably already halfway up the mountain.” 

“What are we going to find up there?” he questioned, the nightmare making him more bold. 

“How to create an Omega,” Sephiroth answered, surprisingly not dodging the subject. “Amongst other things.” 

Zack found himself dumbly nodding as the SOLDIER stood up to head out the helicopter hatch. “Sephiroth?” The words were out before he could stop himself, holding his breath as the other glanced back. “You wouldn’t ever hurt Cloud, would you?” 

Sephiroth looked stricken at that question, genuine hurt coming to his features as he stared down at him. “I know you don’t think I deserve him, and that you wish it had been you, but I love him, Zachary. I love him more than anything else in this world.” 

He nodded slowly, realizing almost too late that, however endearing, it hadn’t been an answer. He realized a little too late that before Sephiroth turned away from him to head into the town, his eyes had flashed with an almost cat-like slit. 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’ve decided I love Kadaj. He’s fantastic, and he makes me want to hug him. As for the Sephiroth thing..well...nothing good ever happened in Nibelheim. Hope you enjoyed the chapter


	27. A SOLDIER's MADNESS

Chapter 27: A SOLDIER’s Madness

Cloud frowned down at the sleeping body, fingers carding through Kadaj’s hair as he had finally gotten him to lay down. He considered the fact that the two of them were now in a stranger’s room in a town where Shinra would probably be looking for him at any second. He would let him rest for a half hour, and then they needed to get going up the mountain. 

He frowned down at the other, not knowing why he felt this innate need to protect him. Instincts—he supposed—just like everything else. Kadaj had called them brothers. Was it possible they could actually be related? Had Hojo spawned an entire army of super human sex dolls? 

He laid down beside the other, exploring his face as he tried to find any of the same features when he looked at his own. Was he really family? ...Could he be? Cloud sighed, leaning over as his lips pressed to Kadaj’s forehead before slipping out of the bed. He was actually feeling a lot hungrier now that he wasn’t rolling along with ocean waves. His fingers swept across the slight bulge on his belly...and it was unfair to feed, what could be the savior of the world, only milkshakes. 

...So maybe he was getting a bit full of himself. 

Shrugging off his strange thoughts, Cloud padded down the stairs, watching his feet as he considered what he was going to say to Tifa about the Omega currently sleeping in her bed. He cleared his throat, finally deciding to just get it over and done with as he looked up to the girl currently cleaning the bar. However, his eyes caught on the bell over the doorway that signified a new guest. 

A guest he knew very well. 

Blue eyes widened as his fingers gripped the railing, meeting equally surprised violet eyes as an intense sense of longing went directly to his toes. “Zack.” The words were whispered want off his lips as he didn’t realize how much he had missed him in the time he had been away. When had he seen him last? ...In his and Sephiroth’s apartment? Zack had seen him forced down upon his knees and made to beg for Rufus’ benevolence. His last memory of him had been groveling to Shinra. 

“Zack!” Cloud repeated, not knowing why he was here, but not able to hold back as he ran down the remaining stairs and flung himself at him. Zack being in Nibelheim could mean a million things. It could mean that they were surrounded by Shinra troops. It could mean that his life was burning down around him, but he didn’t care. 

His arms wrapped desperately around his neck, burying his face into the crook as he inhaled the Alpha’s smell, feeling almost high with it as his nails tightened into those dark spikes. An anxiety he didn’t realize he was having quelled at the smell of the Alpha, and Cloud let out a keening whine as he pressed up against him. Sephiroth would be angry. ...Sephiroth would be beyond angry with him, but he had just missed him so much. 

“Spike…” Zack’s voice was strangled—confused almost. Of course he had to be confused. Of course he had to be angry. Cloud didn’t care. He couldn’t bring himself to let go. Strong arms slowly rose to wrap around him, and Cloud smiled against his neck at the comfort. “Spike...hey look at me.” 

Cloud hesitated. He knew once he did he would have to acknowledge his impulsiveness. He would have acknowledge that Zack and him were no longer together...that he was with Sephiroth...that he was having his child. 

...If it was even a child growing inside him. 

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said instead, burrowing, if possible, deeper into that neck as he felt Zack stiffen against him. He knew he was pushing it. He knew any second he would be yanked away. “How bad is it?” 

Zack’s chest shook slightly at the question, and Cloud sighed in content as lips were pressed against the top of his head. “Bad. It’s bad, Spike...but you knew that. You knew exactly what was going to happen when you left Midgar.” 

Guilt ate at him as he knew. He knew when Rufus had handed him the card to get out of Midgar that it hadn’t been out of the goodness of his heart. It was a trap. A trap he had walked directly into. Why? Because he was curious? Because he was bored? Because he could never listen? 

“You’d come for me,” Cloud spoke out loud, inhaling the Alpha’s scent one last time before he forced himself to face reality. 

“That we’d come for you.” Blue eyes flew open at the sound of the voice, springing back from Zack as if burned as the cold rage in Sephiroth’s voice was palpable. 

“Seph…” His mate stood in the doorway, and Cloud could see the way his sclera were already glowing in his anger. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say...couldn’t put into words the ways he knew he had wronged his mate. He dared not glance over to Zack to see his reaction, keeping his eyes locked with his mate as he didn’t know how he would react to him coming closer. “I needed to know.” 

“You needed to know?” Sephiroth questioned, and he swallowed hard with the anger in his tone. “Tell me more about what you need, Precious…” Sephiroth stalked forward then, not hesitating in grabbing his forearm and yanking him forward. “Give me the pleasure of laying it at your feet!” 

“Sephiroth,” Zack growled at the treatment. “Calm. Down.” 

“Calm down?” Sephiroth questioned, eyes still locked with Cloud’s as the blond didn’t dare glance away. That hand on his arm tightened to an almost painful level as Sephiroth’s jaw clenched with his temper. “Why should I be calm? My mate has forced us to become exiled from the one place that can keep him alive. He has disobeyed every order he was given because he was bored!” 

“I didn’t do it because I was bored!” Cloud’s temper always overruled his reason as he glowered at his mate. “I did it to learn the truth about both of us!” 

“Is that right?” Sephiroth sneered. “And what exactly did you hope to learn about me? Fears perhaps? Doubts?” 

“Don’t be an idiot!” Cloud sniped, attempting to yank his arm away from Sephiroth, but the SOLDIER didn’t so much as budge. 

He was snapped out of his anger as two hands slammed down onto the counter, and his eyes flickered over to Tifa glaring at all of them over the bar. “I don’t know what’s happening here, and I’m positive I don’t want to. But take it out of my father’s bar.” She pointed accusingly at Sephiroth. “I don’t care who you are, mister, you come in here grabbing people like that, and I’m going to call the town guard on you.” 

Sephiroth’s face was a cold mask, not releasing his grip as he stared the girl down. “Don’t worry, we were just leaving.” He yanked him around by his arm, two arms wrapping around his waist and lifting him up as Cloud kicked at the treatment as he was carried out of the bar. 

“What the hell are you doing, you jackass!” Cloud kicked at him, eyes widening as he saw a Shinra helicopter just at the entrance of town. “Put me the fuck down!” Cloud saw Genesis and Reno staring with wide eyes as he was dragged towards the helicopter, but could focus on nothing but his outraged anger as his mate had the audacity to manhandle him. “I’m not leaving!” 

“Shut up Cloud,” was growled out as Sephiroth didn’t even seem phased by his struggling or embarrassment as they headed towards the helicopter. 

Cloud bucked back against him, slamming his foot over and over again onto Sephiroth’s toes...not that it even made the bastard budge. “Sephiroth!” he pleaded once again, doing all he could to squirm away as his mate’s chest began to vibrate in a warning growl. “I can make you if I want to!” 

Sephiroth paused on his trek back to the helicopter, leaning down to his ear as the arms around him tightened. “My darling Omega, I’d like to see you try.” Sharp teeth grazed against his neck, and Cloud’s instincts kicked in as his head fell to the side, fingers gripped Sephiroth’s leather clad thighs as his body for the first time realized it was back in the arms of its mate. 

“Sephiroth.” Cloud stiffened at the sound of that voice, a dark command in it as it shook with fury. Zack. Sephiroth’s teeth dragged along his neck at the sound of the voice, and Cloud could feel the cold fury radiating off his mate. “Get your hands off him.” 

Shit. Cloud stopped putting up any struggle as he tried to reach through their bond...anything to calm his Alpha who was now shaking against him in a need to control himself. He brushed up against Sephiroth’s soul, wincing at the pain as Sephiroth turned slowly with him still pressed against his chest to face Zack. 

It was like gripping barbed wire. 

Zack had his sword drawn, and his eyes were glowing violet as he stared at Sephiroth in utter hatred. “Do you honestly think I’m going to let you man handle him that way?” 

Hands wrapped tighter around him, pushing up the sweater he was wearing just enough to reveal his growing midriff. “I don’t think it’s any of your concern how I choose to handle my disobedient mate.” 

Zack’s eyes flickered down to the revealed skin, narrowing as Sephiroth’s hand pressed against his stomach. “He’s not your mate. You know that though.” Zack’s grip tightened on his hilt. “You’re spoiled and arrogant, and you don’t care who you hurt in your path as long as you get what you want...even if you have to steal it.” 

Genesis took a step forward, holding out his hand between the two. “Guys...just calm down. You’re both just reacting to his smell...You don’t want to fight each other.” 

Sephiroth hummed against his neck, watching Zack with hooded eyes as his hand played with the button on his waistband. “You hear that Cloud...your smell is affecting them. Should we make you smell more?” Lips pressed up against his mating mark and Cloud shuddered against him, squirming in his hold as he realized the deep seeded need he had for his mate. “Do you want me to bite you there?” Sephiroth spoke into his ear, eyes fixed on Zack as the other Alpha had started to growl. “He certainly doesn’t sound like he wants that. But he doesn’t know you as well as I do...Can’t feel you practically purring in want.” 

“Sephiroth!” Genesis warned, shaking his head back and forth at him, but Cloud couldn’t take his eyes off of Zack, even as his hips moved reflexively against Sephiroth—hating himself even more. 

“Dude, what the fuck,” Reno spoke, and Cloud’s eyes flickered over to him as his cheeks stained red with shame at his best friend...his only friend...seeing this. “I don’t know the politics behind whatever the fuck is happening between you three, but I do know we don’t have time for this. Shinra is going to know exactly where we went. They’re going to be coming...and you two tossing your dicks around really isn’t helping anything.” 

Cloud once more attempted to brush up against their bond, wincing when he was practically burned as he tried. Sephiroth was not himself. 

Sephiroth was very dangerous. 

“What do you want?” Cloud asked softly. “You want to take me back to Shinra?” he asked. “You want our kid to be born in that place? For them to continue to watch us fuck for science?” He attempted to appeal to the rational part of Sephiroth’s brain, hand rising up at the same time to try to stop anything Zack might be attempting. 

“Did you think I did not have a plan for you?” Sephiroth questioned. “I asked for your patience. I asked for you to not throw yourself at Zack every time you saw him. You gave me neither.” One of Sephiroth’s hands traveled up, gripping blond spikes as he spun his head to look at him. “The accusal in your tone is palpable, Cloud.” 

Sephiroth’s eyes were glowing...slitted in a way that he recognized from deep within his mate. ...A dark secret hidden within his soul. “We need to go to the reactor. I’ll never forgive you if you take me back there without answers.” 

“You don’t want those answers,” Sephiroth replied, nails elongating as Cloud winced at the way they dug into his scalp. “Tell your puppy to back down. He doesn’t want what he thinks he does either.” 

“Try me,” Zack spoke back, shifting his stance to be ready to attack. 

Sephiroth chuckled against his neck, inhaling one more time before shoving him away. “Oh well...might as well indulge him.” 

He was shoved out of Sephiroth’s arms at the same time as the Masamune was withdrawn. “Stop!” 

His plea fell on deaf ears as the sound of metal clashing happened almost instantaneously with Sephiroth shoving him away. They were so fast. So strong. Cloud watched with wide eyes as they seemed to practically fly through the air as their swords clashed over and over in a cascade of sparks beneath them. 

Cloud couldn’t take his eyes off of them as he slowly moved to where Genesis had crossed his arms as he watched them with a frown. “Can’t you stop them?” 

Zack landed on top of the water tower in the middle of town, holding his sword with both hands as Sephiroth slammed down onto him as they crashed through the balcony surrounding the tower. ...It didn’t even slow them down as they pushed through the wooden scraps, moving at an inhuman speed as their swords clashed back and forth. 

Genesis glanced over at him, and Cloud could see the disgust on his features. “You want me to stop them?” He motioned to the sky as Zack slashed across Sephiroth’s shoulder. “This is because of you. You stop them.” He shook his head as Sephiroth’s sword slashed along Zack’s side. “Honestly, all of this for a piece of tail.” 

“Missed you too, Gen,” Cloud managed. “Why’s Reno here?” 

Genesis glanced across the way where Reno was watching the fight with wide eyes. “I have my theories. Needless to say...I was assuming this fight wouldn’t happen. But you had to go and rub your stink all over Zack.” 

Cloud glowered. “I’m not in heat. I don’t smell.” 

“Sure you don’t, princess,” Genesis murmured. “It’s not heat...it’s something else. Something sweeter...primal...messy. I imagine it has to do with that slight swell to your stomach, but I’m not an expert on Omega fertility.” He motioned to the fight. “Go on...prove your worth being the cause of a rebellion.” 

“He’s not himself,” Cloud spoke, tracking Sephiroth’s movements as he didn’t know if he would be willing to listen. Besides...his Alpha command had never worked on his mate. 

“No,” Genesis agreed. “He’s not. Do something about this anyways before he kills him.” He knew that Genesis wasn’t referring to Sephiroth losing the fight, and that became more apparent the more blood Zack dripped from the wound in his side. 

Cloud stepped forward, anger overcoming him as he considered how stupid the two of them were to fight over him. He wasn’t worth it. He would never be worth their admiration, and certainly not their blood. He twisted the bangle on his wrist as the materia there began to glow as lightning struck between the two. 

“The both of you just stop!” Cloud cried, coming to stand between them. “You’re being idiots! Do you seriously think that everyone in this hick town isn’t recording the two of you fight? They probably already knew we were here, but they definitely know now.” He pointed towards the mountains. “We need to go now! Not when the two of you are through with your pissing contest.” 

Sephiroth watched him, slowly sheathing his sword. “We’re not going.” 

“Try and stop me, Seph,” Cloud managed, sneer on his face as he stared his mate down. “I pissed you off. I get that, but I’m right in this. There’s answers that I need...that we need.” He motioned around to the entire group. “That we all need. Now come with me, or go home and wait for me to come home to you.” 

“You act like you could just waltz back into headquarters,” Sephiroth spoke, eyes narrowed as he clearly considered his options. 

“He could,” Zack answered. “He’s growing their savior. He’s more protected than any of us.” 

“He’s right,” Cloud agreed, ignoring the sick feeling at the words as his hand went to his stomach. “They won’t kill us until the baby is born. We have options, and so if you won’t go with me Seph...go home.” He then turned to Zack, giving him a forlorn expression as guilt once more ate at his bones. “I don’t need you to fight my battles for me. You don’t need to be hurt because of me anymore than you already have been. If you can’t be civil to my mate, then you can go home too.” 

Zack sighed, sheathing his sword on his back as he rubbed at his eyes in frustration, other hand going to heal the wound on his side. “I’ll take you up to the mountain. I daresay he’s not going to let you go alone, but I won’t let you go with him.” 

“He wouldn’t hurt me, Zack,” Cloud rebuked in anger at the slight against his mate, not knowing why the words sounded so false on his tongue. “Kadaj knows the way. We can all go.” 

“No,” Sephiroth spoke, voice a thin mask of anger. “We can’t. We need a diversion.” The Alpha turned to Reno. “You need to take the helicopter away from here. Let them track you.” 

“You mean put a giant target on my back?” Reno asked, voice appalled. “No fucking way.” 

“I am the General of Shinra, and as such your superior. I’m telling you to do this as an order.” Sephiroth’s voice was ice. “I dare not consider the possibility of you disobeying.” 

Reno gave a curt nod, obviously knowing better than to argue with a direct order. “For how long? How long should I give this idiocy before circling back?” 

Sephiroth glanced towards the mountains, eyes calculating. “Two days. It’ll take at least a day to get up the mountain. If you can buy us some time we can get my stubborn Omega the answers he so desperately craves.” 

“This is all so stupid,” Reno murmured. “But fine. I’ll lead them away from you.” The redhead glanced towards Zack. “You’re being an idiot…” Cloud frowned at the familiarity in that tone as he saw Zack glance away. “And you…” He turned to him. “What are you doing Cloud? I don’t even recognize you anymore.” 

He didn’t recognize himself most of the time. 

“Be careful, Reno.” It was the only thing he could say in reply as the shame swirled in his stomach. 

The Turk seemed to hesitate with himself, glancing back and forth from Cloud to the helicopter, seeming to give in as he rushed forward. Cloud met him halfway, clinging to his best friend as the other hugged him, and Cloud’s eyes knitted slightly at a familiar scent that seemed to be etched into his skin. “Don’t be stupid, okay?” Reno leaned into his ear. “Don’t let him hurt you.” The Turk pulled away, winking at Zack before he took off running towards the helicopter. 

He frowned at the assumption, not liking the way everyone spoke of Sephiroth. He didn’t like the way he had seen his own mate. That wasn’t him. Sephiroth was kind. He wouldn’t hurt him. He would do anything for him. They were wrong. He would show them just how wrong they were if they managed to make it through all of this alive. 

Cloud walked over to Sephiroth then, coming to stand in front of him as he once more twisted his bangle to heal the wound dripping from his shoulder. He watched him for just a moment, before reaching up as he pulled his mate in for an embrace. They were wrong. He had been wrong when he had doubts. He had been wrong when he felt the barbed wire encasing his soul. 

Sephiroth pulled him close then, and Cloud let out an exhale of relief as he buried his face in the Alpha’s neck, inhaling his scent. They were wrong. “I’m going to grab Kadaj, and then we’re going to the reactor.” 

“Cloud,” Sephiroth spoke as he turned away, grabbing his arm and spinning him back around towards him. “I’m sorry,” he breathed out, leaning down to give him his first kiss in weeks. He melted into his mate, sighing as he leaned up on his toes to deepen the kiss, hands fisting in those silver locks and not caring that everyone was watching...that Zack was watching. 

They were wrong. 

They were wrong about Sephiroth. 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heading up the mountain...Almost to the reactor. It’s really hard to write the dynamic between those three. Harder still knowing what I have to write. Thanks for reading!


	28. Sweet Dreams

Chapter 28: Sweet Dreams

Cloud trailed behind Sephiroth as they made their way up the mountain. To say things had been awkward, would have been the understatement of the century. The tension coming off both Sephiroth and Zack was thick enough to be cut with a sword. They had been hiking for the better part of the day now, and there had been an unwritten separation between the group. 

Zack had pushed on ahead, walking with Kadaj as the Omega seemed to be talking his ear off, Genesis had placed himself as a buffer between them, and Cloud had sunk back behind Sephiroth, hoping his submissiveness would be seen as some sort of penance for all of the trouble he had caused all of them. 

He hoped Reno was okay. 

He hoped no one was coming. 

He hoped that whatever they were going to find when they got to the reactor was worth it. Sephiroth certainly didn’t seem to think so. His anger was radiating off him in waves, and only seemed to be increasing the closer the reactor got on the horizon. 

“Are you ever going to speak to me?” Cloud managed, exhaling his nerves as he caught up to walk next to his mate. 

Sephiroth, for his part, didn’t even look at him. “What precisely would you have me say to you?” he questioned. “Should we talk about your disobedience? Your recklessness? Your sluttiness?” 

Cloud frowned at that, glowering at the SOLDIER. “How about you? Should we talk about whatever is going on with you?” 

“With me?” Sephiroth questioned, finally looking over. “Whatever is going on with me, I assure you that you’re the cause.” 

“I don’t think that’s true,” Cloud argued, speeding up so that he could walk backwards as he spoke to him. “What happened in Wutai? You can tell me. I won’t judge you.” 

“You won’t judge me?” A laugh bit through the air. “You think I’m concerned with you judging over what I did in Wutai?” 

“To come back to me,” Cloud argued. “Yeah. I do think you’re concerned about it. I tried to connect with you, Seph...I couldn’t come close to getting through whatever wall you’ve built up.” 

“Perhaps I don’t always want you in my head?” his mate suggested. “You wouldn’t like what you found there.” 

“Why not?” Cloud held out his hands, stopping Sephiroth in his tracks as he frowned at him. “What would I find?” Sephiroth had never hidden anything from him. They had never had secrets. “Did you cheat on me?” 

Sephiroth blinked down at him, actual surprise covering his face. “Excuse me?” 

“Did you?” The thought had come out of nowhere, but now that it was out, Cloud couldn’t stop the irrational fear from filling him. “Is that why you won’t let me in?” 

Those cat-like eyes just blinked at him, before disgust covered his face. “Don’t worry Cloud, I’m much more loyal than you. The fidelity between us is safe on my end at least.” 

“There’s certainly an accusal in your tone,” Cloud bit out, ripping his arms away from his mate. “Hugging isn’t cheating. Get over yourself.” He crossed his arms, fully aware that the rest of the group was pulling ahead. “I would never cheat on you. 

Sephiroth sighed in annoyance. “I can’t talk about this with you. Not when it’s so glaringly obvious the way you feel about him.” He motioned towards Zack’s retreating back. “If I hadn’t bitten you...hadn’t taken your choice from you...you would be with him.” 

The same thing over and over again. The same problem that would never go away. It was a circle without an answer. It was insanity, doomed to keep repeating over and over again. “If you think that, then I suppose you can wait to take me again until I ask for it.” 

“Really?” Sephiroth questioned with skepticism. “You think you can hold out? We’ll set up camp in a few hours...and let’s just see how your reservations hold up.” He reached out, spinning him back towards the path. “Better catch up. Zachary is leaving you behind.” 

Cloud glared behind his back, not liking the tension between them as he continued to hike up the mountain. The sun was beginning to set as they were still a half a day’s walk from the reactor according to Kadaj. 

He resisted the urge to glare back at Sephiroth, taking it into consideration how hard everything must be for him right now. Sephiroth was convinced that whatever they were going to find out the reactor was bad, and Cloud knew how much he hated him being around Zack. His temper was already set on edge, and he knew that he shouldn’t have deliberately picked a fight. Not if they were ever going to get back to normal. 

Genesis slowed his speed, as if sensing his anxiety as he began walking beside him. “What’s the game plan here, Blondie?” Cloud was dimly aware that Sephiroth could probably hear every word he said, but he had never seemed to mind Genesis. 

“I find answers.” Was the easy reply as he glanced over. “What are you doing here anyways, Genesis? This isn’t your fight.” 

“Collateral damage,” he replied easily, shrugging. “Wrong place, wrong time when your boyfriend blew a fuse and stabbed Hojo.” 

Cloud spun around at that. “You stabbed Hojo!?” Infinite possibilities of the trouble they could be in coursed through his mind, but at the same time he was sad that he had missed it. 

Sephiroth just rolled his eyes. “He had it coming.” He motioned towards the mountain. “He has a point. What are you looking to accomplish with this feat of madness?” 

“I want answers,” Cloud replied, furrowing his brow. “To who I am.” 

“You’re the labrat son of a mad scientist,” Sephiroth replied, ignoring the way the blunt statement made the blond flinch. “What more do you need to know?” 

“Who you are!” Cloud shot back with, hating the dismissive tone when they both knew they hadn’t gotten all of the answers the last time they had come to Nibelheim...not by half. 

“Me?” Sephiroth questioned, and Cloud glared over at Genesis as he whistled a warning. “I’m the labrat son of a former Turk. Anymore pertinent questions I can answer for you, or are you convinced that this stupidity is actually what you want?” 

“Personally, I’m kind of liking the scenery.” Genesis motioned around. “Not every day we get kicked to a backwater town to discover some sort of dark secret.” Genesis glanced back at the both of them, pausing in his tracks. “How bout I do you two a favor and take Zack and Kadaj to scout up ahead?” 

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with you wanting to get close to Kadaj, would it?” Cloud questioned wryly, watching the way Kadaj’s hands were moving exuberantly as he explained something to Zack. His stomach tightened in jealousy as he knew he would never get to talk so openly to the Alpha like that again. 

“Here I am, trying to do the both of you a favor, and you question my motives.” The SOLDIER placed his hands to his heart in mock hurt. “You wound me.” 

“He’s sensitive,” Cloud warned, feeling protective of just the thought of Kadaj being swept up into this nightmare. 

“He’s hot,” Genesis countered, and Cloud frowned as his eyes seemed to be glued to his ass. “He kind of looks like me.” 

Cloud laughed, shaking his head as he looked over to Sephiroth. “Good to know that who you’re really into banging is yourself.” 

“I have impeccable standards,” Genesis mused. “Anyways. I’ll convince them that we need some food. Meanwhile, you two can set up camp.” 

“You don’t have to play matchmaker.” Sephiroth crossed his arms, seemingly annoyed at the very thought. “Cloud here has given me a dilemma, anyways.” 

“Show him your charm,” Genesis told him. “You seriously need laid.” His head tilted back and forth, seeming to war with himself. “You’re not yourself...so set up camp, and find your happy center again.” Genesis ran up ahead, speaking to Kadaj and Zack about the plan. Cloud hung his head a bit in shame at the look of irritation Zack sent Sephiroth’s way, before it was once more covered by an agreeable smile as he nodded and handed over his pack. 

Genesis ran back towards them, handing over Zack’s pack. “Make yourself useful, Blondie. Set up our tents while the men go out and hunt.” 

Cloud rolled his eyes, hugging the pack close and trying to ignore the fact that the Alpha’s smell lingering on it gave him an inordinate sense of calm. “Sephiroth is staying as well you know.” 

“That’s why I said men.” Genesis winked at Sephiroth. “I’ll keep them busy for a few hours. Should be enough time to work through your…” He winked at them. “Frustrations.” 

“Jackass.” Cloud watched Genesis run forward, hands pressing into Zack and Kadaj’s backs as he led them down a path on the mountain. “As if he could make it anymore obvious on why he left us to set up camp.” 

“What’s the matter, Cloud?” Sephiroth questioned, pulling out his own tent as he walked over to a clearing and began to spread it out. “Trying to hide the fact that you’ve been primed to be fucked since you scented Zack in that bar?” 

Glowering at his back, Cloud followed him to set up the other tents. “What do you think we’ll find at the reactor, Sephiroth? Since you know so much?” 

“I have my theories.” The SOLDIER hoisted up their tent, not bothering to divulge just what those theories are. “None of which will do you any good to know.” 

“Maybe I’m stronger than you give me credit for?” Cloud worked on setting up the other tents, hammering the stakes into the ground. 

“You’re very strong,” Sephiroth replied, coming over to kneel in front of him. “What you’ve endured...that’s never been a question, but you’re causing yourself unnecessary pain for whatever guilt you think you feel.” 

Blond brows knitted as Sephiroth finished up. “Do you not feel guilty for what we did to him? He was your friend too.” 

“Of course I feel guilty,” Sephiroth assured him, reaching down and helping Cloud to his feet. “But I will always do what I have to in order to keep you. Don’t you understand that by now?” 

“I’m not going to sleep with Zack, do you understand that?” Cloud questioned, stepping closer as a hand wrapped around his waist. 

“I want to try,” Sephiroth admitted, reaching down to tilt Cloud’s chin up to meet his lips. Blue eyes fluttered shut at the kiss, leaning forward as he wrapped his arms around his mate’s neck. 

“I want to talk to you.” Cloud drew back, blinking up at the SOLDIER as his fingers carded through long silver hair. “We haven’t had the chance since you got back...not even to talk about the baby.” 

Sephiroth leaned in to kiss him again, lips soft against his own. “You really want to talk right now? Even after Genesis gave us such a convenient opening?” 

Cloud snorted at that, looking back to the trail as he turned around to lean into the Alpha’s arms, sighing in content as hands pushed up his sweater to press against the small bump. “Someone should really teach him subtly.” 

“Never really been one of his strong suits,” Sephiroth mused, lips drawing down along Cloud’s neck, stopping at his mating mark as Cloud shuddered at the feel of him. “Get in the tent.” 

“I didn’t say yes,” Cloud pointed out, thighs shifting as he felt a wetness roll down them. 

“Your smell did.” Cloud laughed as he was yanked backwards into the roomy tent, struggling in his mate’s arms as he pulled back from him and looked around at the surroundings Sephiroth had set up. Sleeping bags from their packs had been laid out on the ground, creating a cozy flooring as he shook his head. 

“This where we’re sleeping?” He laughed more as Sephiroth pushed him back, hands going to the latch on his dark jeans. 

“Something like that.” Sephiroth yanked the pants down over his hips, leaning down to kiss at his knees. “I know we need to talk. I’m aware we desperately need to talk, but Cloud, I haven’t had you in so long.” 

Cloud spread his legs to allow Sephiroth to crawl between them, moaning as his mouth was claimed and his arms came to wrap around his neck. “Missed you,” he managed, pushing at Sephiroth’s leather jacket to get down to flesh as that mouth traced down his neck. 

He was yanked up as Sephiroth grabbed for the bottom of his sweater, drawing it over his head as he threw it to the other side of the tent. Cloud was seated half in the other’s lap, cheeks heated as he realized the slight swell of his stomach was revealed as he stiffened in the Alpha’s arms. 

Sephiroth knitted his eyebrows as he could clearly sense the hesitation, cupping his face as Cloud squirmed atop him. “What?” The Omega pushed at him, trying to crawl off as hands wrapped tight around. “Cloud, what?” 

He tried to turn his head to the side, but Sephiroth’s finger trailed down his cheek, before tilting it back towards him to look into glowing eyes. “It’s weird. I’m starting to show and it’s weird.” His Alpha’s silver eyebrows shot up towards his hairline at the words, and a grin spread quickly across his face. “Don’t laugh at me!” Cloud warned, fingers gripping that long hair as he shifted atop him, uncomfortable as Sephiroth glanced down to the small swell. 

Sephiroth leaned in, placing a kiss against his cheek before pulling him close in his arms. “I adore you.” 

Cloud sighed, heart swelling as he leaned back into Sephiroth’s mouth, pressing against him as their tongues swirled. What had happened earlier...that was his fault. He had gone to Zack before even thinking of his mate...his mate who made his head swirl beyond reason with love when he finally got back to him. The insanity he had felt reflected in Sephiroth had been his fault. 

Reaching down between them, Sephiroth worked on the clasp of his leather pants, never breaking the kiss as he lifted Cloud just enough to get his boxers down below his knees. Cloud shuddered as he sank down upon Sephiroth, his body accommodating for its Alpha as wetness poured down his thighs. 

His nails dug into Sephiroth’s scalp as the entire length was pressed inside of him, wrapping his legs around the SOLDIER’s back. He was desperate for them to be connected on a deeper level. He wanted to know that his mate wasn’t angry with him. He wanted to know that he was okay. Cloud pressed up against their connection as Sephiroth’s hands began to raise his hips up and down atop him. The last thing he wanted was to feel that barbed wire surrounding Sephiroth. He wanted to just feel him. 

Cloud scraped up Sephiroth’s soul at the same time as the Alpha’s teeth sunk into his shoulder, and he poured into his lover’s mind without issue. He gasped at the pain in both his shoulder and his mind as he arched his back, moving faster atop him. 

He saw what he had done in Wutai, taking in every death...every sin...sharing his mate’s pain as he refused to let Sephiroth keep the burden to himself. Sephiroth’s teeth sunk into his other shoulder, blood pouring down his back as Cloud reveled in how much he loved his Alpha. ...How sorry he was that he had worried him...caused him pain. 

When it was over, Cloud lay with his back towards his mate, sated and feeling practically drugged as his neck and shoulders were covered in bites, and his belly was full of his mate’s seed. “I’m sorry I worried you,” Cloud breathed out, completely sedated and compliant as he reached back to play with his mate’s hair. 

Sephiroth inhaled his scent, nose pressed to the mess that was his mating mark as his hand came down to the swell in Cloud’s stomach. “I’m sorry I scared you. I don’t want you to ever be scared of me.” 

Cloud shifted, moving to lay on his back as his head rested on Sephiroth’s forearm, staring up at the other in question. “Rufus led me here by the nose. He wants me to see what’s in that reactor, and Hojo told you where I was...which means he wants you to know as well. We’re walking into a trap.” 

Sephiroth hummed his agreement, kissing him softly as he laid their foreheads together. “Almost certainly a trap. I don’t think there’s any going back now, though.” 

“We spring the trap?” Cloud asked, eyes searching his Alpha’s as the other sat up and reached for his jacket. 

“Something like that.” Sephiroth pulled a syringe out from the pocket, holding it up as Cloud pulled the sweater over his head. “We have to give you this now.” 

Cloud scrubbed his hand through his hair, ruffling up his spikes and frowning as he lifted up ruined boxers. “What is it?” 

“Medicine, for you...and the baby.” Sephiroth was frowning as he stared down at the syringe like it was poison. 

“That stuff that Hojo’s been giving me?” Cloud questioned, staring down at it in distaste. “I don’t think I need it. I feel fine.” 

“You will take it,” Sephiroth replied, voice leaving no room for argument. 

“What is it?” Cloud asked again, eyebrow arched, leaning back as he pulled his jeans back over his hips. “Hojo wouldn’t tell me, but it makes me feel…” 

“Aroused?” Sephiroth questioned, and Cloud’s cheeks heated as the Alpha seemed to know exactly what the medicine did. “That’s why we did what we did first...to calm down your impulses.” 

“My impulses?” Cloud frowned. “Do you mean as an Omega I just couldn’t seem to help myself from jumping…” He was never allowed to continue as his arm was grabbed and the needle was plunged into his arm. 

The sclera expanded in his eyes as he felt his mind expand. Needwantlovedesirefear all filled him as he couldn’t help but picture Zack’s face, shaking his head as his own mate’s face came back to the forefront, leaning in to the embrace as Sephiroth’s arms surrounded him. 

He whined before he could help himself, laying his head on Sephiroth’s shoulder as he felt beyond drugged. “Why did you do that?” 

“For you,” Sephiroth assured him, kissing his spikes as he allowed Cloud to collapse against his still nude body. “It’s okay to fall asleep. You need your rest before we get to the top of the mountain in the morning.” 

Cloud nodded as he was laid back atop the sleeping bags, Sephiroth covering him as his drugged eyes fluttered shut. “Sephiroth?” he found himself murmuring as the blood from all the bites on his shoulder soaked through his sweater. “Don’t leave.” 

“Sleep.” The command registered with his brain as memories from two different lovers warred with each other in his mind. He faintly felt lips against his forehead before the distant sounds of clothes rustling and a zipper assaulted his senses. As Sephiroth left and his mind began to drift, he couldn’t stop but wonder why the memories of Zack seemed so much more potent, even as he was surrounded in the scent of his mate. 

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. I kind of wanted to split the two group’s chapters before finally getting to the reactor. Sephiroth is...manipulative...biting and injecting his own venom over and over again...but I also feel sorry for him. Hope you enjoyed!


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